As a terrible earthquake of unprecedented scale has just hit Turkey and Syria, the world is rallying to help. Cryptocurrency exchange platforms, including Binance, Bitfinex or Bitget, have announced that they are sending donations to support the victims and help with the reconstruction.
The crypto world is mobilizing
This February 6th was marked by a terrible event. An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 – and an aftershock of almost the same intensity – hit Turkey and Syria. Experts are talking about an event of a magnitude rarely seen before.
The toll was catastrophic, with around 5,000 people dead according to official figures and several thousand injured. The whole world has mobilised to help the victims, as have companies in the cryptocurrency industry.
Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance, said members of the company are “currently working on a solution” to determine how best to help those affected by the earthquake felt in Turkey, Syria and elsewhere:
We are truly saddened by the earthquake in Turkey . Our team has been working on a solution to help the people. There are quite a few details. I have had 4 meetings on it today. More details to come. Stay strong.
– CZ Binance (@cz_binance) February 6, 2023
A few hours after this article was published, a statement from Binance was sent to us indicating that the exchange will distribute $100 in BNB tokens to all identified users living in the earthquake zone. Binance’s subsidiary Binance Charity has also released an address to which donations can be sent to support
Initiatives are growing
Similarly, Bitfinex, Keet, Synonym and Tether have joined forces and pledged 5 million Turkish Liras – or about $270,000 – for relief and reconstruction efforts in Turkey. As explained in the blog post, they want to “provide ongoing support to help Turkey rebuild for the future”:
It is absolutely essential at a time like this that we come together to support the citizens of the region in the wake of this tragedy. We stand in solidarity with Turkey. “
Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget said on Monday that it would send 1 million Turkish lira – about $50,000 – to similar causes. In parallel, Gate.io has started preparing aid packages for people affected by the earthquakes.
If you’d also like to contribute, note that The Giving Block platform, which has already worked to frame cryptocurrency donations to Ukraine, has listed the various trusted associations accepting cryptocurrency donations and planning actions following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria:
The Giving Block is actively monitoring the situation in Turkey and Syria after the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
We will be updating the following thread with nonprofits that accept crypto donations who are actively responding to this tragedy.
– The Giving Block (@TheGivingBlock) February 6, 2023