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Vitalik Buterin donates 149 ETH to help earthquake victims in Turkey

Monday, 13 February 2023

Ethereum Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin Donates $227,000 in Ethereum to Aid Turkey Earthquake Victims

Buterin's contribution is part of a growing trend among cryptocurrency companies and exchanges who have been sending donations to victims in the form of cryptocurrency. This is because cryptocurrency offers a fast and secure way of sending funds, which is particularly helpful in times of crisis.

Buterin's donation included 50 ETH, which amounts to approximately $77,000, to the Anka Relief cryptocurrency fund account. Anka Relief has been accepting donations in cryptocurrencies since the disaster struck and has been forwarding the funds to non-governmental organizations working on the ground.

"We want to thank @VitalikButerin for donating 50 ETH ~$75k to Anka Relief, a crypto aid fund & community to support Türkiye after the recent earthquakes. https://t.co/kGwXSGWL8J Dive into the thread below to better understand our mission and ops https://t.co/92CkxevI5e"
Anka Relief (@AnkaRelief) February 12, 2023

The Foundation has also released a list of cryptocurrency addresses where people can send their donations. Anka Relief expressed their gratitude to Buterin and other cryptocurrency companies that have been donating to their cause.

Cryptocurrency donations have been flowing in since the first day of the disaster. According to Etherscan, there are currently 409 ETH worth about $622,000 in Ahbap's wallet. Ahbap has reported that it has already received $4.3 million in digital assets, with most of the donations coming in stablecoins.

This is not the first time that Vitalik Buterin has used his cryptocurrency holdings for charitable causes. In 2021, he sold all of his holdings of meme cryptocurrencies for 15,719 ETH and donated the proceeds to charities, including the coronavirus fund.

Cryptocurrency has been used in the past to help victims of natural disasters. For example, in 2015, BitFury, a miner manufacturer, together with the Georgian Investment Fund, organized a fundraising event in Bitcoins to help flood victims in Tbilisi.

In conclusion, Vitalik Buterin's donation to aid earthquake victims in Turkey is an example of how cryptocurrency can be used for good purposes. It's great to see the crypto community coming together to help those in need.