Oprah and The Rock collect crypto donations for Maui wildfire victims

September 1, 2023 Coin Telegraph

The Rock and Oprah Winfrey launched the People’s Fund of Maui to provide direct financial support to those affected by the calamity.

The crypto community joins in to support the Maui community as a relief fund championed by A-list celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson accepts donations in cryptocurrencies.

In early August 2023, wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui, causing massive property and personal losses as more than 2,500 acres were burned. The Rock and Oprah launched the People’s Fund of Maui to provide direct financial support to those affected by the calamity.

We're honored to announce the People’s Fund of Maui, a fund putting money directly in the pockets of those who were affected by the recent wildfires.

As @Oprah and I have seen firsthand, the impacts of these wildfires have been devastating, and we’re here to ensure with 100%… pic.twitter.com/iH6cPwbQ3k
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 31, 2023

In the tweet, The Rock confirmed that 100% of the donations will go to the victims, adding:

“Every adult resident who lives in the affected area and was displaced by the wildfires in Lahaina and Kula is eligible to receive $1200 per month to help them through this period of recovery.”

The People’s Fund of Maui accepts donations in the form of numerous fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies. In addition to accepting fiat donations from around the world, the fund will also accept donations in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Doge (DOGE), among a plethora of other alternatives.

*Crypto donation drive for Maui wildfires. Source: eifoundation.org*

As explained by Oprah, the intention behind handing over the donations directly to the survivors is to allow them to make decisions for their path to normalcy. “People being able to have their own agency, being able to make decisions for themselves — about what they need and what their family needs — that is our goal,” she added.

Running parallel to the supportive efforts of A-list celebrities, many relief efforts strive to help out the wildfire victims.

We are participating in @TheGivingBlock's Maui Emergency Response Fund to support survivors of the wildfires in Hawaii.

Donate to All Hands and Hearts with crypto and help strengthen our relief efforts: https://t.co/iG4AnSbNDl https://t.co/aQisZxLspE
— All Hands and Hearts (@AllHandsHearts) August 15, 2023

All Hands and Hearts, a disaster relief organization, has been collecting cryptocurrency and fiat donations to assist local Maui residents in the wake of the fires.

“Cryptocurrency donations as any other type of donations are helping to provide essential support after the devastating wildfires,” said Olga Ruggiero, chief of organizational integration and events at All Hands and Hearts. “The crypto industry continues to band together with communities around the world in need.”

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Crypto donations fund fire relief efforts on Maui

August 30, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Business

The Giving Block matched more than $68,000 in crypto and fiat donations to raise more than $136,000 for a project aimed at assisting efforts following the fires in Maui.

Relief efforts are still underway on the Hawaiian island of Maui following a series of wildfires severely damaging major areas including Lahaina.

All Hands and Hearts, a disaster relief organization, has been collecting cryptocurrency and fiat donations to assist local Maui residents in the wake of the fires which took the lives of more than 100 people and destroyed homes and businesses. Government officials have reported the cost to rebuild may be more than $5.5 billion.

“Cryptocurrency donations as any other type of donations are helping to provide essential support after the devastating wildfires,” said Olga Ruggiero, the chief of organizational integration and events at All Hands and Hearts. “The crypto industry continues to band together with communities around the world in need.”

We are participating in @TheGivingBlock's Maui Emergency Response Fund to support survivors of the wildfires in Hawaii.

Donate to All Hands and Hearts with crypto and help strengthen our relief efforts: https://t.co/iG4AnSbNDl https://t.co/aQisZxLspE
— All Hands and Hearts (@AllHandsHearts) August 15, 2023

Ruggiero reported that the organization had received more than $125 million in crypto through The Giving Block, a charity platform which facilitates digital asset donations in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and other tokens. At the time of publication, the Giving Block had matched more than $68,000 in crypto and fiat donations to raise more than $136,000 for the Maui project.

“All Hands and Hearts and other disaster relief organizations have evolved their donation strategies over the years by embracing technology and utilizing different types of digital platforms,” said Ruggiero. “These changes have improved fundraising efficiency and effectiveness, enabling organizations to provide crucial aid during disasters.”

The fires, which reports suggest may have been caused by downed power lines on Aug. 8, have devastated the island of more than 160,000 residents. In addition to donations through All Hands and Hearts, the governments of Japan and South Korea each pledged $2 million in aid to support relief efforts.

Many organizations have turned to cryptocurrency as a solution to get funds into areas affected by natural and man-made disasters. In Ukraine, where residents have faced Russian military attacks since 2022, the government received more than $70 million in crypto for military equipment and humanitarian assistance as of February.

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Hawaii Senate committees favor task force to regulate crypto, blockchain

May 3, 2022 Coin Telegraph

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The task force will submit findings and potential legislation back to the State Capitol — which involves providing a plan to expand blockchain adoption in both the private and public sectors.

Two committees of the Hawaii State Legislature — Commerce and Consumer Protection (CPN) and Ways and Means (WAM) — unanimously approved the launch of a specialized task force to explore the use and regulation of the crypto ecosystem.

In a letter addressed to the President of the Hawaii Senate, Ron Kouchi, legislative members Donovan Dela Cruz and Roz Baker wrote in support of creating a “Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Task Force” that was first proposed in bill SB2695.

SB2695, titled “A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CRYPTOCURRENCY,” sought to establish a task force within the Department of Budget and Finance to review and compile country-wide data on crypto and blockchain. The task force would submit findings and potential legislation back to the State Capitol — which involves providing a plan to expand blockchain adoption in both the private and public sectors.

Record of votes from Committees on CPN and WAM. Source: Hawaii State Legislature

Citing the vast potential for both the use and regulation of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, the letter read:

“This measure establishes a task force to create a master plan to explore the use and regulation of blockchain and cryptocurrency.”

Once signed into law, the blockchain and cryptocurrency task force will need to submit a report of its findings and recommendations at least twenty days before convening the regular session of 2023.

The task force will consist of 11 members — including representatives of a blockchain payments solution company, a cryptocurrency exchange and a cryptocurrency association — who shall be appointed by the governor.

On April 27, Brazil’s Senate passed its first crypto-related bill in a plenary session, calling for the creation of a regulatory framework.

As Cointelegraph reported, the bill awaits approval by the Chamber of Deputies before it can be signed into law by President Jair Bolsonaro. Speaking on the development, Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco said:

“I want to congratulate the rapporteur of the project, Senator Irajá, for the approval, here in the Plenary of the Senate, for this important bill.”

The bill is expected to be passed into law by the end of 2022.

Trends Study Says Dogecoin Is the Most Googled Cryptocurrency in the US

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Out of All the American States Study Shows Hawaii Expressed the Most Crypto Demand This Year

June 18, 2021 Bitcoin.com

Hawaii had largest increase in demand for crypto out of US states this year

June 17, 2021 Coin Telegraph

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“Around 6% of the U.S. population now use or own crypto, and the trend is growing,” said the report.

A new report from MiQ Digital indicates that demand for cryptocurrency has increased the most in the U.S. states of Hawaii and California in 2021.

According to data gathered from Google Trends comparing the average interest from 2020 to 2021, MiQ Digital reported that Hawaii had seen a more than 687% increase in demand for cryptocurrencies over that in 2020, even more than runner-up state California at 655%. However, users are most likely to find businesses in California that are willing to accept crypto payments, with 440 currently doing so compared to 180 in Florida — the home of the Bitcoin 2021 conference.

“Cryptocurrency may not be part of the mainstream economy just yet, but demand is so high in some states, U.S. financial authorities are looking at ways to regulate the market,” said the report. “Around 6% of the U.S. population now use or own crypto, and the trend is growing.”

The report added that Dogecoin (DOGE) had the greatest increase in price, jumping 6,900% since December 2020. However, data suggests that demand in Bitcoin (BTC) increased the most across the U.S. in Hawaii and Nevada, with the significantly smaller 51% rise in price over the same period. At time of publication, the price of DOGE and BTC are $0.31 and $37,816, respectively.

Businesses and crypto retail investors are likely drawn to different states for different regulatory frameworks. Because the U.S. government has largely left the matter of regulating crypto to individual states — the U.S. constitution allows for this distinction between federal and state law — a state like Texas with fewer regulations on its power grid may look more appealing to crypto miners. Wyoming is seemingly attracting blockchain firms with the work done by pro-crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis and Caitlin Long, CEO of digital bank Avanti Bank & Trust.

However, lawmakers in Hawaii have also been working to establish the state as more of a regulatory safe haven for crypto traders and businesses. Early last year, the state began considering a bill that included support for banks custodying digital assets. Last March, Hawaii also established a digital-currency sandbox aimed at attracting crypto businesses to the state.

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