In response to the horrific fire at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Tai Po District, Hong Kong, which has become the city’s deadliest in nearly a century, the cryptocurrency community has stepped in to aid affected residents. This catastrophic incident, which has already claimed 128 lives, has faced major donations from prominent crypto exchanges and Web3 companies.

Three centralized cryptocurrency exchanges (CEXs) have collectively pledged approximately HKD 24.78 million (around USD 3.19 million). Specifically, Bitget has contributed approximately USD 1.5 million, Binance has donated around USD 1.28 million, and KuCoin has promised about USD 256,000.

Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, highlighted their commitment to assist in the recovery and rebuilding efforts, wishing for the quick recovery of affected families. She announced this on X last Friday, reiterating, “Bitget stands with Hong Kong, wishing affected residents a swift recovery and rebuilding of their homes.”
(Translation: Bitget supports Hong Kong and wishes for a quick recovery for residents.)

The intense fire, which sparked on a Wednesday, engulfed seven high-rise buildings before being extinguished the following Friday, marking it as Hong Kong’s worst fire disaster in 80 years.

The company Animoca Brands, based in Hong Kong, has also initiated a token-based fundraising effort to gather additional support from the crypto community through Ethereum and Solana wallets. As of the latest updates, this initiative has raised over USD 171,000 in cryptocurrency donations.

In a related development, Justin Sun from the Tron Network has committed a sizable but undisclosed amount to assist fire victims.

The landscape of donor engagement through cryptocurrency has significantly broadened, illustrating an important and beneficial role in response to emergencies, particularly in areas lacking robust banking infrastructure. In recent years, crypto donations have remarkably assisted disaster relief efforts globally.