Polygon (POL) has opened a crypto donation route into Nepal's official disaster relief fund after flash floods killed at least 1,252 people.
Key Points:
- Polygon has launched a crypto donation channel feeding the Government of Nepal's Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund.
- Contributions are collected onchain by Engage Nepal, a U.S. nonprofit, and then passed to the state fund.
- The Aug. 26 glacier collapse has killed at least 1,252 people, with more than 4,200 still missing.
Polygon Opens Onchain Nepal Donations
The network announced the campaign on X, pointing donors to nepalrelief.org and pledging that all of the money reaches flood relief. Its Open Money Stack handles the routing, bridging and conversion, so donors can give any supported token on any chain without picking a network themselves.
Sandeep Nailwal, chief executive of the Polygon Foundation, said the proceeds will go to the Government of Nepal's Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund.
The site publishes a public wallet that accepts USDC (USDC) on Ethereum (ETH) and Polygon, with contributions collected and accounted for onchain by Engage Nepal, a U.S. nonprofit led by former Ambassador Scott DeLisi.
The group works with partners inside Nepal and hands the money to the government fund, with support from the exchange Coinme and a dollar route for U.S. donors through Cross River Bank.
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Nepal Flood Toll Tests Crypto Aid
A glacier collapse on Aug. 26 sent ice, rock and mud down the Trishuli corridor along the China border, flattening settlements in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. Authorities reported at least 1,252 dead and more than 4,200 missing, with about 7,500 houses completely destroyed.
Officials estimate roughly 20,000 homes will have to be rebuilt in safer locations, and the cabinet has set Sept. 7 as a day of national mourning.
Nepal's own donation portal does not list a crypto wallet. That leaves digital assets useful at the collection layer, while the final handoff still depends on charities that can convert tokens and move dollars through recognized channels.
Nepal Police have warned donors about fake QR codes and personal accounts soliciting flood money.
The central bank urged the public to check account names against details published by the Prime Minister's Office, after reports of fraudulent accounts opened in the fund's name. Relief agencies say about 65,000 people across five districts need emergency water and sanitation, including more than 22,000 children.
Crypto Donors Follow Nailwal Playbook
Polygon is not the only crypto company responding. Ripple pledged $300,000 on Aug. 29 to World Central Kitchen and Mercy Corps, while Solana (SOL) auctioned nine advertising zones on its X profile picture and raised $166,946.50 in USDC for Nepal relief.
Nailwal has run a version of this campaign before. He founded India's COVID-Crypto Relief Fund in 2021, collecting donations in public wallets during the country's second coronavirus wave.
That effort later drew a crypto gift from Vitalik Buterin valued near $1 billion at the time, and it remains the template Polygon is reaching for in Nepal.
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