Ukraine

Congress demands crypto payments notification from State Department when helping Ukraine

The bill amendment demands the Secretary of State submit reports to congressional committees explaining why the State Department made the determination to pay out rewards in cryptocurrency.

A new bill demanding a congressional notification prior to payments of United States Department of State rewards using cryptocurrencies has surfaced as Congress raises concerns about the evasion of sanctions.

The Rewards for Justice Program, a counterterrorism rewards program run by the Secretary of State, offers rewards for information that prevents international terrorism. Citing examples of Russia and Belarus as previously sanctioned regimes that have used cryptocurrencies to circumvent sanctions, the bill H. R. 7338 demands that:

“The Secretary of State shall notify the appropriate congressional committees not later than 15 days before paying out a reward in cryptocurrency.”

Congress highlighted the United Nations’ findings that 12 million Ukrainian residents would need humanitarian assistance and that cryptocurrencies have “been used as an effective cross-border payment tool to send millions to the Ukrainian Government, Ukrainian army, and Ukrainian refugees with limited access to financial services.”

The bill amendment demands the Secretary of State submit reports to congressional committees explaining why the State Department made the decision to pay out rewards in cryptocurrency.

If signed into law, the bill will require the State Department to list each crypto payments that were previously provided. Moreover, the federal department will also need to provide evidence as to why cryptocurrency payments would encourage whistleblowers to share intel when compared to rewarding with U.S. dollars or other prizes.

In doing so, the State Department must showcase an analysis of how crypto rewards could undermine the dollar’s dominance as the global reserve currency.

Related: White House OSTP department analyzes 18 CBDC design choices for the US

Following U.S. President Joe Biden’s executive order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets, federal agencies joined hands in publishing a fact sheet to articulate a clear framework for responsible digital asset development.

The “first-ever” fact sheet published by the White House consisted of seven sections, namely: (1) Protecting Consumers, Investors, and Businesses; (2) Promoting Access to Safe, Affordable Financial Services; (3) Fostering Financial Stability; (4) Advancing Responsible Innovation; (5) Reinforcing Our Global Financial Leadership and Competitiveness; (6) Fighting Illicit Finance and (7) Exploring a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).

While some of the sections don’t contain any particularly new information, federal agencies recommend the creation of a federal framework for nonbank payment providers in addition to encouraging the adoption of instant payment systems like FedNow, which is expected to launch in 2023.

Binance partners with Ukrainian supermarket chain to accept crypto through Pay Wallet.

Customers who use the Binance Pay Wallet to pay for their orders will be eligible to enter a rewards program.

Binance announced Friday that it has partnered with the Ukrainian supermarket chain VARUS, saying it will enable cryptocurrency payments for grocery purchases through its Binance Pay Wallet. 

The grocery store is one of the largest companies in Ukraine with over 111 stores across 28 cities in the country. The company said that this partnership will allow its customers to access instant cryptocurrency payments and fast delivery in 9 cities in Ukraine, namely; Kyiv, Dnipro, Kamianske, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, Brovary, Nikopol, Vyshhorod, and Pavlograd.

The companies have also announced a “reward fund promotion”, where customers who order anything from the VARUS Delivery program worth over UAH 500 and pay with Binance Pay, will be rewarded with UAH 100.

A month ago, a Ukrainian POS and crypto payments company called Whitepay, rolled out a new program that enabled Ukrainians to purchase electronics and other products with cryptocurrency.

In attendance at this year’s Kyiv Tech Summit hosted on Sept 6 -9 in Ukraine, Ethereum Founder Vitalik shared that: “Ukraine could well become the next Web3 hub”. He shared:

“A country can become a Web3 hub if its citizens are actively interested in this technology and decide to make a major contribution to its development,” Buterin added. “Ukraine has both the capabilities and the determination to do this.”

Hackers try to sell NFT of Belarusian leader’s supposed stolen passport

Belarusian hackers claim to have gained access to the passport info of every Belarusian citizen, including president Alexander Lukashenko, allowing them to mint an NFT with his passport details.

A group of hacktivists called the Belarusian Cyber Partisans have been attempting to sell a nonfungible token (NFT) featuring the purported passport info of Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko.

The Belarusian Cyber Partisans say the move is part of a grassroots fundraising campaign to fight “bloody regimes in Minsk and Moscow.”

The members claim to have hacked into a government database that has the passport info of every Belarusian citizen, allowing them to launch an NFT collection called Belarisuan Passports, which includes a digital passport that supposedly features Lukashenko’s actual information.

Some observers have accused the info on the digital passport of being fake, due to a typo on the front page of the word “Republic” and a misspelling of “Aleksandr.”

The hackers on Twitter said they attempted to sell the NFT collection on Lukashenko’s birthday on Tuesday via the OpenSea marketplace. However, they stated that the sale was promptly shut down, and is now looking at other options:

“The dictator has a birthday today — help us ruin it for him! Get our work of art today. A special offer— a New Belarus passport for Lukashenko where he’s behind the bars.”

An OpenSea spokesperson told Gizmodo that the project broke company rules relating to “doxxing and revealing personal identifying information about another person without their consent.”

The Belarusian Cyber Partisans also revealed that they are looking to sell NFTs featuring the passport info of other government officials that are closely connected with Lukashenko.

“We also offer passports of his closest allies and traitors of the people of #Belarus and #Ukraine. All the funds will go to support our work in hitting bloody regimes in #minsk & #moscow,” the group wrote.

Lukashenko is quite the controversial figure and has been at the helm in Belarus since the nation’s inception in 1994. Despite being elected on the premise of stamping out corruption, he has been described by the likes of the Organize Crime and Corruption Reporting Project as having “rigging elections, torturing critics, and arresting and beating protesters” in the past.

The hacktivists state that they are vehemently opposed to what they feel is a corrupt regime under Lukashenko, who has also irked the group via his support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Related: Aid for Ukraine’s $54M crypto fund buys vests, scopes and UAVs

In February, The Belarusian Cyber Partisans launched a broader fundraising campaign called the “Resistance Movement of Belarus,” which aims to ultimately usurp power from Lukashenko via its own self-defense forces. The campaign primarily takes donations through crypto assets such as Bitcoin (BTC).

“We, the free citizens of Belarus, refuse to submit to this state and form the self-defence, as a people’ response to the unleashed terror. Our ultimate goal is the elimination of the dictatorial regime,” the group wrote.

Organizations bring Africa, Costa Rica and Ukraine to the Metaverse to raise awareness

Web3 users will soon be able to experience Africa, Costa Rica and Ukraine in the Metaverse, as organizations recreate virtual environments with a purpose.

The Metaverse is quickly becoming one of the most important places for companies and individuals looking to expand their reach. New findings from research firm MarketsandMarkets predict that the Metaverse market size will grow from $61.8 billion in 2022 to $426.9 billion by 2027. 

In addition, a recent report from Juniper Research links nonfungible token (NFT) growth to metaverse use cases. According to these findings, metaverse-related NFTs will experience an increase from 600,000 transactions in 2022 to 9.8 million by 2027.

Given this potential, a number of regions across the globe have started to establish a virtual presence. For example, the emirate of Dubai announced the launch of the Dubai Metaverse Strategy in July this year. As Cointelegraph previously reported, the Dubai Metaverse Strategy aims to attract companies and projects from abroad while also providing support in metaverse education aimed at developers, content creators and users of digital platforms.

While the concept may sound futuristic, industry experts believe that this is a logical progression. Hrish Lotlikar, co-founder and CEO of Superworld — an augmented reality content platform — told Cointelegraph that as Web3 technology becomes integrated into everyday lives, future-forward regions, governments and organizations will capitalize on communication, gamification and monetization opportunities in the Metaverse.

Organizations bring regions to the Metaverse for a purpose

This appears to be the case, as many organizations are focused on establishing geographical territories within Metaverse ecosystems. For example, Africa can be accessed virtually in Ubuntuland, a Metaverse platform that houses a land called Africarare. 

Mic Mann, co-founder and CEO of Africarare, told Cointelegraph that Africarare connects Africa to the global digital economy:

“Africa is one of the fastest growing populations in the world, and by 2050, it’s predicted that it will be one of the biggest populations. Therefore, we thought this was the perfect time to upskill Africa’s youth for this new world. Africarare aims to create the future of work for Africans and organizations who wish to connect with people across this continent.”

Mann added that Africarare has secured a 12×12 village, or 144 plots, of virtual real estate in Ubuntuland to establish its visibility. He explained that users are defined by digital avatars, which can enter Africarare’s “central hub” land to partake in custom experiences. “These range from art to education and include experiences like galleries, live performances, stand-up comedy, video content channels, film festivals, safaris and more.” 

Image from Africarare. Source: Africarare

Although Mann believes that Africarare will enable a sense of virtual tourism, he pointed out that the project is meant to create improved work and educational opportunities for the African population. “We believe that the Metaverse is the world’s greatest equalizer. Through Africarare, we can allow Africans to partake in this new space and thrive,” he said. 

In order to ensure this, Mann explained that the World Data Lab — a data enterprise based in Austria — recently acquired a 6×6 village in Ubuntuland to develop their presence and connect to other organizations within this part of the Metaverse.

According to Mann, World Data Lab plans to use this collaboration to raise awareness of key-impact topics through virtual initiatives. “This includes developing a data science “metaversity,” to better understand Africa’s growing population.” Mann further commented that companies establishing a digital presence in Ubuntuland will seek to recruit a digital workforce from the platform’s user base.

Mann noted that users in Ubuntuland will use the UBUNTU token as its currency, which is built on the Ethereum blockchain and will be made available later this year. In the meantime, Mann remarked that art galleries across Africarare have already been established and are dedicated to showcasing Africa’s prolific creativity. 

“Over 15,000 users visited the platform during an alpha launch we did in October 2021 with our Mila Gallery,” he said. Based on this success, Mann noted that the Mila gallery, which means “tradition” in Swahili, will continue to host curated collections by some of Africa’s foremost artists. He also shared that Africarar’s Inuka gallery — Swahili for “rise” — will feature works by emerging African artists. “Both galleries will stage various exhibitions on an ongoing basis with art pieces being sold as NFTs,” he said.

While Ubuntuland is focused on Africa’s metaverse, a project known as Alóki will allow users to virtually experience the Central American country of Costa Rica. Bartek Lechowski, chief operating officer of Alóki, told Cointelegraph that the platform reconnects people to nature through blockchain technology. “This play-to-own metaverse will enable users to do good for the planet and help build a sustainable future for society at large,” he said.

To accomplish this, Lechowski explained that Alóki offers its users the chance to virtually explore Costa Rica’s rainforests while participating in sustainable development. This will be accomplished through the project’s blockchain-based game in which digital actions mirror those in the real world via NFT ownership. Lechowski said:

“Alóki aims to make people pay attention to the climate change problem and be interested in contributing to something useful. For example, planting a tree in the Alóki metaverse can result in a real tree being planted in the Alóki Sanctuary of Costa Rica.”

Lechowski — who is also an owner of the Alóki Sanctuary, which is a 750-acre patch of rainforest in Costa Rica — said that thei project aims to plant more than 10,000 trees through its Metaverse initiative. 

Image from Alóki. Source: Alóki

“We currently have a 10-person team of sustainable farmers and are in the process of hiring even more. We’re working hard to create harmonious heaven — we’ve already planted a whopping 11,000 fruit trees,” he added.

In addition to ensuring sustainability, Lechowski remarked that the project aims to create communal buildings that will house coworking spaces and social spaces. “Our online users will eventually be able to come and enjoy Alóki Sanctuary as a reward for their sustainable actions,” he said.

Although Alóki has yet to launch, Lechowski explained that the project will take a simplified metaverse-like model approach that will gradually be developed overtime. “We plan to launch Alóki for our community as soon as there is a common Metaverse standard implemented to work across different platforms,” he remarked. Fortunately, work being done by the Open Metaverse Alliance is currently focused on implementing such standards.

It’s also notable to mention that a nonprofit organization known as The Heritage Hub will soon allow users to experience Ukrainian history within the Metaverse. Brittany Kaiser, co-founder of the Heritage Hub, told Cointelegraph that the organization uses digital scanning, 3D modeling, and NFT tokenization to preserve local heritage to be shared globally in a metaverse museum. She said:

“The problems it solves are three fold: Firstly to have a digital archive of all heritage and cultural sites, artifacts, art and other items of importance to a nation’s history and identity. Secondly, it allows all items to be encrypted on the blockchain for tracking and traceability in case of destruction or disappearance. Lastly, it allows us to use Web3 business models to fund the historic preservation of these sites and items.”

Kaiser explained that the first Metaverse being built is for Ukraine to ensure that anyone in the world will have a chance to experience the important cultural heritage of the country. Taras Gorbul, co-founder of the Heritage Hub, added that people will also be able to contribute to digital tourism revenue that will help the country rebuild after the war:

“Users will be able to visit sites that are still standing, but that are difficult to visit. Eventually, through an avatar, users will also be able visit sites that have been destroyed in the war but have been rebuilt digitally.”

A metaverse with purpose to drive adoption

Although it’s innovative for organizations to recreate various regions in the Metaverse, it remains questionable if users will want to engage with these platforms. For instance, market research firm Ipsos recently conducted a survey for the World Economic Forum that found half of adults across 29 countries are familiar with the Metaverse. While notable, the study also found that excitement for metaverse adoption is significantly higher in emerging countries in comparison to most high-income countries. The report noted: 

“More than two-thirds of people in China, India, Peru, Saudi Arabia and Colombia say they feel positive about engaging with extended reality, compared to fewer than a third in Japan, Great Britain, Belgium, Canada, France and Germany.”

This in mind, Mann believes that education is still needed in order to drive adoption. “Education and access is needed to up skill and empower Africans and the general population about these new technologies and how they can create equal opportunity,” he said. 

Echoing this sentiment, Lotlikar noted that regions like Dubai that are looking to enter the Metaverse also require education that extends beyond the hype of NFTs and blockchain technology. “The vast majority of people need to understand how they can benefit from this technology in the real world,” he remarked.

In addition, Lechowski pointed out that a Metaverse with purpose will be essential moving forward. “Simply redirecting daily activities into the Metaverse is not going to drive massive adoption. We believe that providing custom experiences might do just that.” For instance, even if a Metaverse is only capable of providing an imitation of reality, Lechowski believes that Alóki has the potential to democratize access to nature in the long term.

Kaiser further noted that as more culturally important parts of Ukraine are added to the Heritage Hub’s digital museum, the initiative will be able to roll out tools for more teams wanting to add items to the museum themselves. “In the future, other countries will be able to use the Heritage Hub tech stack to create digital tourism revenue and to open source access to their heritage for education and recreation.”

Ukraine has shown the value cryptocurrency offers to real people

Ukrainian refugees have used cryptocurrency to survive. And contrary to what critics believe, sanctions have prevented Russia from finding much use for crypto.

The world is still struggling to comprehend the geopolitical and human impact of the Ukraine war. With more than 10 million people fleeing their homes and 6 million seeking refuge in foreign countries, it’s been a time to support a sovereign country under attack.

It has also proven to be the moment where cryptocurrency proved its true value to real people. Not as the high-concept tech toy for the wealthy elite as many had previously dismissed it, but rather as an empowering force for good in a dangerously unstable world.

When the Russian invasion began in February, Twitter accounts belonging to the Ukrainian government posted pleas for crypto asset donations. Now, as more than $100 million in crypto donations have already been raised to support the Ukrainian resistance, those of us who have championed crypto as a way of giving ordinary people rather than corporations and governments control over their own money have been vindicated. While the banking financial system has been under sustained attack by Russia, using both military and cyberattacks, this life-saving money has gone directly to those in need via crypto.

Ukraine took a number of measures in an effort to stabilize the banking sector and protect the country’s economy, including suspending foreign cash withdrawals, limiting how much currency can be withdrawn, and banning cross-border forex transactions. Consequently, Ukrainians are turning to borderless and trustless crypto to enable them to either survive in or flee from the war zone. 

Related: The Ukraine invasion shows why we need crypto regulation

We can now see the value of having somewhere safe to store money in a time when the traditional financial system is under threat — a completely separate payment infrastructure that can step in and pick up the slack if the current infrastructure is destroyed in a black swan event. Whether it is a state destroying our ability to pay for goods and services or even a major cyberattack, the blockchain provides a vital backup to halt the destruction of entire economies.

We have witnessed digital currencies being used to quickly transfer cash to those in need from relatives abroad, enabling fleeing refugees to buy crucial goods and services when there is no cash in their ATMs after critical infrastructure has been decimated by relentless Russian attacks. Anyone with a mobile phone and internet access — which has been bolstered by the thousands of Starlink satellite internet dishes generously provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX — can access their funds via crypto wallets.

Crypto averting sanctions? Think again

Digital currencies have not only shown their worth in helping desperate Ukrainian refugees but also in preventing sanctions from being averted. Contrary to speculation at the onset of the conflict, desperate Russian oligarchs have discovered that crypto is not the safe haven for their funds that they had hoped.

As the United Kingdom’s independent crypto industry association, we called on all of our members and the wider crypto community to take all necessary steps to enforce economic sanctions against Russia through engagement with professional compliance teams, blockchain analytics companies, the National Crime Agency and government experts in illicit finance.

Contrary to the outdated image of crypto as a digital currency favored by criminals, every transaction on the blockchain is, in fact, publicly available, providing a secure and transparent record on a ledger that anyone can see. This publicly available information means that exchanges can use transaction monitoring tools to trace the source of the funds and flag what is coming from blacklisted, sanctioned sources.

The list of blacklisted addresses is in the public domain, which means that exchanges can not only identify and block sanctioned names but also prevent them from opening accounts in the first place.

Lack of liquidity

Contrary to some speculation, if Russia wanted to evade sanctions by converting fiat currency into crypto today, it would be extremely difficult because there is insufficient liquidity in the market to support exchanging its fiat for cryptocurrency at a sufficient scale.

If an oligarch is attempting to convert $1 billion into crypto, they would find that this vast amount of digital currency is simply not available in one place because it is scattered across thousands of marketplaces.

Building digitally from ground zero

The legacy systems upon which our financial markets stand are not going anywhere, and quite rightly, because governments around the world value the safety, predictability and security they offer. But if we could start from scratch, it is likely that we would turn to blockchain technology, which is at the cutting edge of financial technology thanks to its superior efficiency. It does away with all the intermediaries, reduces the time to settle, increases the global reach for sending payments, and reduces costs.

Related: Ukraine has received $37M in tracked crypto donations so far

Big payment providers, which connect the banking world with merchants, have already embraced crypto, providing the ability to pay with digital currencies as an alternative to paying a credit card charge. The cost of these transactions has increased significantly in recent years, and if a company is turning over tens of millions of dollars per year, 2% is a lot of money. If they have another way to pay using crypto for a fee of less than 1%, it is a better choice.

Ukraine’s financial infrastructure may emerge from this tragic war at ground zero, and we may soon witness a modern society rebuilding its economy with a strong blockchain technology element built in. As the shockwaves of this tragic conflict resonate around the world, crypto has risen to the challenge and proven itself a vital source of both financial stability and accountability.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Ian Taylor is the executive director of CryptoUK, an independent industry body that exists as a cohesive, credible voice for the evolving United Kingdom digital assets industry. Having spent 20 years in investment banking, he has held many senior roles across trading, treasury and risk management, and is still involved with a major global bank. In his role he has built a community of more than 100 of the most influential industry participants and campaigns for a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework in the U.K., Europe and beyond.

Pro-Russian groups raised only 4% of crypto donations sent to Ukraine

“While significant, the $2.2M worth of crypto donated to pro-Russian orgs still pales in comparison to the tens of millions in crypto donated to Ukraine,” said Chainalysis.

According to data from crypto analytics firm Chainalysis, users have sent more than $2 million in crypto to 54 pro-Russian groups since Feb. 24, a fraction of that received by many wallets controlled by the Ukrainian government.

In a Friday blog post, Chainalysis said it had tracked funds sent to social media accounts controlled by pro-Russian groups in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), USDT-TRX, and Dogecoin (DOGE) starting with the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February. According to Chainalysis’ data, users sent roughly $2.2 million to the pro-Russian groups, with more than $1 million going to a single unnamed account.

While there may be other groups outside of Chainalysis’ investigation of those supporting pro-Russian forces, the available data suggested that the $2.2 million in donations amounted to roughly 4% of crypto sent in support of Ukraine. Wallet addresses connected to Aid for Ukraine, a platform backed by the government’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, showed the organization had received more than $45 million in crypto since launching in March. Crypto exchange Binance, which facilitates donations through its Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund, reported more than $10 million received since February.

Both Russia and Ukraine have taken heavy losses and casualties since the invasion began. Aid for Ukraine reported that crypto sent to its wallets would be used to support the country’s military as well as humanitarian projects; meanwhile, Chainalysis reported the $2.2 million sent to pro-Russian groups could be used primarily for military equipment and to finance propaganda sites.

“While significant, the $2.2M worth of crypto donated to pro-Russian orgs still pales in comparison to the tens of millions in crypto donated to Ukraine,” said Chainalysis. 

The donations to Ukraine have seemingly been in accordance with international laws. However, Chainalysis reported that roughly half of the crypto sent to the pro-Russian groups would be used to support military forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk territories of Ukraine’s Donbas region — areas specifically sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, at United States Department of the Treasury.

In addition, Chainalysis reported that Russian national Alexander Zhuchkovsky, also listed as a Specially Designated National on OFAC’s sanctions, has used social media channels to promote the Terricon Project. The group reportedly supported Russian efforts in the war against Ukraine through crypto donations for the military in the Donbas region and the fraudulent sale of nonfungible token artwork.

Related: NFT sales will fund the restoration of physical monuments in Ukraine

Following the invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent economic restrictions imposed on Russia by the United States, many global lawmakers targeted crypto as a way for Russian individuals and businesses to potentially evade sanctions. Amid these measures, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law prohibiting digital financial assets as payments in July.

NFT sales will fund the restoration of physical monuments in Ukraine

“The NFT will not stop Russian missiles, but it offers a way for Ukraine to develop as an innovation-friendly country and to rebuild its economy,” said Oleksandr Borniakov.

The Ukrainian government will be using the proceeds of sales from an online nonfungible token, or NFT, museum to restore artwork in the real world.

According to a Friday announcement and information shared with Cointelegraph, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said the government-supported Meta History Museum of War platform, aimed at preserving the timeline of major events in Russia’s war with Ukraine, raised 803.28 Ether (ETH) — roughly $1.3 million at the time — through NFT sales. The ministry said proceeds from the sales will go toward “the restoration of Ukrainian cultural institutions,” many of which have been damaged or destroyed by missile attacks from Russia.

“During the six months of the war in Ukraine, the Russians destroyed hundreds of our museums, theaters and cultural institutions,” said Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Culture and Information Policy. “Ukrainian culture and national heritage have been damaged by almost 6 billion euros, and judging by the actions and intentions of the Russian Federation, this figure will only increase.”

Oleksandr Borniakov, deputy minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine for Information Technology Development, added:

“The NFT will not stop Russian missiles, but it offers a way for Ukraine to develop as an innovation-friendly country and to rebuild its economy.”

With the support of the Ukrainian government, a non-profit launched the Meta History project in March, one month after the first missiles struck Ukrainian targets in the ongoing conflict. While the $1.3 million will go toward Aid For Ukraine — a platform launched by the government that accepts crypto donations “to support people in their fight for freedom” — the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy has said the funds will be used for restoration rather than supplies for the nation’s military.

UNESCO, the agency behind many of the world’s heritage sites based on their significance to history, nature and art, reported that as of Monday, 164 cultural sites in Ukraine had been partially damaged or destroyed as a result of the war with Russia. These include 72 religious sites, 12 museums, 32 historic buildings, 24 buildings for cultural activities, 17 monuments and seven libraries.

“These repeated attacks on Ukrainian cultural sites must stop,” said UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay in June. “Cultural heritage, in all its forms, should not be targeted under any circumstances.”

Related: Ukraine-based blockchain firm announces ‘we’re still hiring’ amid market downturn, war

Since the beginning of the war with Russia in February, Ukraine’s government has raised more than $100 million in crypto donations sent directly to wallet addresses provided by the Ministry of Digital Transformation. According to Aid For Ukraine, crypto donations go toward supplying the country’s military as well as humanitarian aid.

Ukraine-based blockchain firm announces ‘we’re still hiring’ amid market downturn, war

According to the CEO, Everstake had made preparations for a “special fund” to tide the firm over in the event of a bear market.

Sergey Vasylchuk, the chief executive officer of Ukraine-based decentralized staking provider Everstake, has said the company will continue to hire crypto professionals amid a market downturn and ongoing conflict in the country. 

In a Wednesday Twitter thread, Vasylchuk said Everstake had hired 30 people since the Russian war against Ukraine started in February, and the firm still had more than 10 positions in marketing and development to fill. According to the CEO, Everstake is “not firing anybody” and had made preparations for a “special fund” to tide the firm over in the event of a bear market.

“An important part of doing business is assessing and addressing all potential risks,” said Vasylchuk. “We couldn’t help but expect another market crash simply because risk management dictates that one must always expect things to go south.”

The Everstake CEO hinted that part of this preparation was due to the possibility Russian forces would invade Ukraine. Vasylchuk said similar precautions taken in the event of a market downturn had allowed the firm to avoid letting employees go — “though I must admit we underestimated the risks of Terra,” he added — and turn the crisis into an opportunity.

Many firms operating in the crypto space from the United States and across the world have reported downsizing as trillions of dollars have vanished from the market in the last 30 days. Coinbase, Gemini, and Crypto.com announced that between 5-20% of their workers would be cut amid the bear market, while Kraken said it would continue hiring for more than 500 roles in various departments.

Related: FINRA may hire employees terminated from crypto firms: Report

Along with Kuna, Everstake is a Ukraine-based company in the crypto space that has coordinated with the local government to launch a crypto donation website aimed at military and humanitarian aid amid the conflict with Russia. Since the war began in February, the firm has helped accept more than $100 million in donations in the form of nonfungible tokens and major cryptocurrencies.

Ukraine-based blockchain firm announces ‘we’re still hiring’ amid market downturn, war

According to the CEO, Everstake had made preparations for a “special fund” to tide the firm over in the event of a bear market.

Sergey Vasylchuk, CEO of Ukraine-based decentralized staking provider Everstake, has said the company will continue to hire crypto professionals amid a market downturn and ongoing conflict in the country. 

In a Wednesday Twitter thread, Vasylchuk said Everstake had hired 30 people since the Russian war against Ukraine started in February, and the firm still had more than 10 positions in marketing and development to fill. According to the CEO, Everstake is “not firing anybody” and had made preparations for a “special fund” to tide the firm over in the event of a bear market.

“An important part of doing business is assessing and addressing all potential risks,” said Vasylchuk. “We couldn’t help but expect another market crash simply because risk management dictates that one must always expect things to go south.”

The Everstake CEO hinted that part of this preparation was due to the possibility that Russian forces would invade Ukraine. Vasylchuk said similar precautions taken in the event of a market downturn had allowed the firm to avoid letting employees go — “though I must admit we underestimated the risks of Terra,” he added — and turn the crisis into an opportunity.

Many firms operating in the crypto space from the United States and across the world have reported downsizing as trillions of dollars have vanished from the market in the last 30 days. Coinbase, Gemini and Crypto.com announced that between 5-20% of their workers would be cut amid the bear market, while Kraken said it would continue hiring for more than 500 roles in various departments.

Related: FINRA may hire employees terminated from crypto firms: Report

Along with Kuna, Everstake is a Ukraine-based company in the crypto space that has coordinated with the local government to launch a crypto donation website aimed at military and humanitarian aid amid the conflict with Russia. Since the war began in February, the firm has helped accept more than $100 million in donations in the form of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and major cryptocurrencies.