Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal has opened a cryptocurrency donation campaign to channel support into Nepal’s Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund following a catastrophic glacier-related flood. The initiative, announced on September 4, provides an on-chain pathway for global contributors to send digital assets that are converted and transferred to official government accounts.

Nailwal stated that stablecoins offer an effective way to move emergency funds rapidly when conventional banking channels encounter delays. Donations are accepted in various tokens across multiple blockchains and routed through specialized infrastructure before conversion into local currency for delivery to the government fund.

Campaign Structure and Partners

Funds are collected on-chain and converted primarily to USDC before pooling in a public relief wallet on Ethereum or Polygon. Engage Nepal, a U.S.-registered nonprofit led by former U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Scott DeLisi, manages collection and accounting. The converted proceeds then move through regulated channels to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Open Money Stack handles bridging, routing, and conversion. Cross River Bank supports the transfer of fiat currency to Nepal, while Coinme supplies payment infrastructure and crypto cash services. Donors may contribute anonymously with any token on any chain or, for U.S. participants, verify identity through Coinme. A single USDC address on Ethereum and Polygon is also available for direct transfers.

At the time of recent reports, the campaign website showed roughly $168,000 raised. Blockchain For Impact has pledged $100,000. Separate commitments include $300,000 from Ripple and $166,946.50 raised by the Solana Foundation together with NFT marketplace Mallow through an advertising auction, with proceeds also directed via Engage Nepal.

Scale of the Disaster

The crisis began on August 26 when a glacier collapse above the Trishuli River triggered a massive debris flow of ice, mud, and rock. The surge traveled approximately 80 kilometers through northern valleys, striking districts including Nuwakot, Dhading, and Rasuwa. Seven districts were affected in total.

Infrastructure losses include 41 bridges destroyed, 42 kilometers of road severely damaged, and six hydropower plants lost. Communities faced isolation from food, clean water, and emergency services, with some workers trapped in damaged hydropower tunnels.

United Nations figures place the death toll above 1,250, with thousands still missing. An estimated 84,270 people, or about 19,284 households, have been affected. The UN has issued a $49.6 million humanitarian appeal to address urgent needs.

Earlier assessments had recorded at least 750 deaths and more than 3,000 missing across Nepal and the neighboring Tibet region by late August, with Nepal accounting for the majority of confirmed fatalities.

Broader Crypto Sector Response

Nailwal’s effort builds on earlier crypto-sector contributions to the same disaster. Ripple’s $300,000 pledge supports relief organizations operating in the affected areas. The Solana Foundation and Mallow auction generated additional USDC proceeds that followed a parallel path through Engage Nepal into the official government fund.

The campaign continues Nailwal’s prior work in crypto-supported humanitarian projects, including earlier relief efforts in India. Public blockchain records allow verification of deposits into the designated wallets and subsequent movements of the pooled assets, though final delivery still depends on conversion services and traditional banking systems.

Nepal’s government maintains standard donation options such as bank transfers and remittance services on its official relief page and has cautioned the public against unauthorized collection accounts. The crypto initiative functions as an intermediary route for holders of digital assets seeking to contribute through recognized nonprofit and banking partners.