When people hear about crypto, they often think of trading, FOMO, and liquidations. But blockchain has also been used as a tool for humanitarian aid – with both bright spots and dark corners.
✅ The Bright Side
Fast & borderless: During the war in Ukraine, crypto donations worth over $100M in BTC, ETH, and stablecoins were raised within weeks – funds that reached the ground much faster than traditional bank transfers.
Pineapple Fund
In late 2017, an anonymous donor known as “Pine” distributed 5,057 BTC (worth ~$86M at the time) to 60 charities globally. The fund supported causes ranging from medical research to human rights.
(Anonymous, yet impactful)
Transparency: Binance Charity Foundation has launched multiple initiatives (from food programs in Africa to COVID-19 aid), with on-chain wallets visible to the public. This “open ledger” reduces corruption and builds trust.
❌ The Dark Side
Some “charity tokens” are nothing but exit scams wrapped in emotional marketing – wallets disappear right after the hype.
In Malta, Binance reportedly pledged funds to the President’s charity back in 2018, which now amount to over €8 million, yet those donations have not been paid. Legal action was even threatened.
During the Gaza crisis, scammers created fake charity campaigns soliciting crypto donations, coercing donors with emotional language and spoofed domains. Researchers identified over $1.6 million drained via these scams.
Many teams use “donations” as a PR tool to gain legitimacy, while only a fraction of funds actually reach those in need.
The line between genuine impact and marketing gimmick is often blurry, especially when donations are used to pump project reputation.
🤣 Sending crypto donations is instant. Knowing if it really helps people? That transaction is still pending on the human ledger.
👉 if a crypto project openly runs an on-chain charity fund, would you support it, or dismiss it as just another marketing stunt ??????
