The earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria will be supported by major local and international cryptocurrency exchanges, well-known figures of the cryptocurrency community, and large local non-profit organizations by means of cryptocurrencies.
On Monday, February 6, a series of earth tremors hit southeast Turkey and northern Syria, with the strongest having a magnitude of 7.8. BBC reports that as of the morning of February 8, the total death toll in Turkey and Syria exceeded 9,000 people. According to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), 6,957 of them were killed in Turkey.
Many countries have already expressed their condolences and also sent material assistance and rescue teams to the affected regions. The crypto community wasn’t left out. In particular, Binance will allocate about $5 million in crypto for the inhabitants of the affected regions of Turkey. ByBit, OKX, Bitfinex, Tether, Keet, Synonym, Gate.io, and Bitget also announced plans to send financial aid to Turkey. Local crypto exchanges Bitci, Icrypex, and BtcTurk joined the effort as well, contributing funds, participating in humanitarian supplies, and announcing aid donations for the victims.
The aid organization was led by the AFAD and the nongovernmental organization Ahbap, whose head is rock musician and philanthropist Haluk Levent. Ahbap’s head organized a week-long crypto relief effort after permission from the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK). Refik Anadol, a well-known artist and crypto enthusiast in Turkey, also announced an aid collection in ETH and plans to hand it over to the AFAD and Ahbap in the future.
The Turkish branch of The Sandbox took an active part in collecting humanitarian aid for the earthquake victims. A lot of members of the NFT community sent their help, especially with the mediation of Ahbap. Gate.io plans to launch an NFT initiative to further support victims of the cataclysm in the near future.
Some of the companies, such as Bitfinex, announced plans to support the affected Syrians.
Recall that the cryptocurrency community actively supported Ukraine after the Russian armed invasion began.
