(San Francisco) The Ukrainian government on Monday launched a site in partnership with cryptocurrency platforms FTX and Everstake to channel bitcoins and other virtual currencies raised to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion to Ukraine’s central bank.
Posted at 8:15 p.m.
On the site of this initiative entitled “Aid for Ukraine”, Internet users can currently make donations in 10 cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, but also ether, tether or dogecoin.
“Cryptocurrencies play a significant role in Ukraine’s defense,” said Oleksandre Borniakov, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation, quoted in a statement.
“Cryptocurrency assets have proven to be extremely valuable in facilitating the flow of funding to Ukrainian citizens and soldiers and in raising awareness and interest among global public opinion,” he added. .
Thanks to Everstake, one of the main players in the crypto-asset industry in Ukraine, donors who wish to do so can make donations in other cryptocurrencies than those listed on the site. The addition of non-fungible tokens (NFT), these certificates of authenticity of a digital object, is also planned.
For its part, the exchange platform FTX, based in the Bahamas and founded by the American billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, undertakes to convert the funds into dollars and channel them to the National Bank of Ukraine.
Ukrainian cryptocurrency exchange Kuna is also part of the initiative.
The “Aid for Ukraine” site indicated, around 7:30 p.m. Monday, that just over 49 million dollars had been raised since the start of the conflict and displayed a target of 200 million dollars.
The money will be used to support military troops as well as civilians “in dire need of humanitarian assistance”, the members of the partnership say in the statement.