Crypto funds for relief, NFTs to raise money for O2 cylinders: How the crypto ecosystem is pitching in to address the pandemic
Tl;DR: To donate cryptocurrencies for COVID-19 relief, fill out this form here. To pick up NFT artwork that contributes to the relief (to the same initiative linked above), follow this account.
On 25 April, the co-founder of Polygon (Matic) set out to create a crypto fund for India to address the shortcomings in the healthcare ecosystem, ensuring regulatory compliance and transparency through the process. Since then, the movement has focused around the @CryptoRelief_ Twitter handle, allowing anyone to donate cryptocurrencies towards COVID-19 relief. If you want to contribute, you can do so by filling out this form. The fund is transparent in all its dealings, just like any good crypto services company. More information about the start of the campaign can be found at WazirX’s blog.
Meanwhile crypto artists such as Siraj, Harshit Agrawal and Amrit Pal Singh are creating NFT artworks that are being sold on marketplaces such as Superrare and Openseas, themed specifically around the second wave in India. The cover art that we used for this article was made by Siraj, and this piece can still be bid for! The NFTs that are not picked up for the relief are burned. The NFTs that are not picked up for the relief are burned. You can spot NFTs from local Indian artists, the proceeds from which will go towards COVID-19 relief, on the Crypto Art India Collective twitter handle. A particular group of artists have also banded together under the Warriors of Hope group to create NFT art to raise funds for the relief, around the theme of “life and unity”.
Read the May 2021 issue of Digit magazine to learn more about the NFT art scene in India, and players from the crypto services industry launching local NFT marketplaces.