Hollywood studios reject banning AI from writer’s rooms

May 3, 2023 Coin Telegraph

The Writers Guild of America sent out a list of demands to Hollywood studios, including regulating AI usage in guild-affiliated projects.

Artificial intelligence (AI) brings yet another industry into a hot debate over its usage as Hollywood and the greater media industry faces petitions from the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

WGA recently sent out a list of demands which included the regulation of AI usage on the minimum basic agreement (MBA) covered projects. It stated that AI should not be used to write or rewrite literary material nor be used as source material.

Additionally, it demanded that MBA-covered material can’t be used in training AI. In its initial statement back in March, the guild wrote:

“The WGA’s proposal to regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies ensures the Companies can’t use AI to undermine writers’ working standards including compensation, residuals, separated rights and credits.”

However, Hollywood studios officially rejected the demands and countered with an offer of “annual meetings to discuss advancements in technology.”

This issue pertaining to AI usage was one of many, including compensation and working conditions, that pushed the WGA to go on an authorized strike in Los Angeles on May 2 for the first time in 15 years.

Scabby won’t let AI write, or rewrite, their script. #WGAStrike #1u https://t.co/nTebf308YV
— Writers Guild of America, East (@WGAEast) May 3, 2023

Ellen Stutzman, the chief negotiator for the WGA, called the proposal “reasonable” and said that AI should be kept “out of the business of writing television and movies.” She also commented that some members of the guild had penned the name “plagiarism machine" for AI.

AI tools are already being implemented in Hollywood for touching up visuals and de-aging actors’ appearances, among other things.

Hollywood production studios’ stance of openness to emerging technologies such as AI differs from the stance of major companies in other creative industries like the music industry.

The initial response of Universal Music Group after AI-generated music started popping up on streaming services was a manhunt to get them removed, along with lawsuits. Though some artists themselves with established names in the industry are encouraging the usage of the technology.

Magazine: How to control the AIs and incentivize the humans with crypto

Sundance Film Festival embraces blockchain and crypto film initiatives

January 20, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Art

Film festivals have seen an increase in blockchain and crypto-funded film projects and initiatives as Web3 technologies continue to merge with the entertainment industry.

Web3 technologies continue to infiltrate various mainstream industries to bring innovation to old systems. This includes legacy creative fields such as the music industry and, more recently, the film industry.

This year, the Slamdance Film Festival, an oscar-accredited film festival for indie filmmakers, will see the premiere of the new film Fuzzy Head, which received its funding through the blockchain-powered crowdfunding platform Untold.io.

Ali Aksu, the CEO of Untold.io, told Cointelegraph that filmmakers, like those on Fuzzy Head, could use blockchain technology to democratize their financing process and open up investment opportunities to accredited and unaccredited investors.

“The most important aspect of crypto/blockchain integrations in the film industry will be opening up a new asset class to all kinds of investors via compliant security tokens and increased fan engagement via NFTs.”

Recently, Untold partnered with Dapper Labs to accelerate the technology and allow wider access to its programs. The platform has also supported other notable films, including The Comeback Trail, which features Rober de Niro and Morgan Freeman.

This is not the first instance of a film festival seeing crypto and blockchain components in films that are premiering. In 2019 the Filmio blockchain platform attended the legacy Sundance Film Festival to scout projects for its blockchain-based entertainment platform.

Last year, Liquid Media Group announced its first blockchain film streaming with a slate of digital panel presentations during the Sundance festival. The company also presented the impact of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) on filmmakers and their communities.

In 2022, Russel Crowe’s Prizefighter film used NFTs to partly fund its production and became what the director called an “audience-driven film.”

Aksu said that the utilization of blockchain-based tools by legacy directors and major festivals brings visibility to these tools for independent filmmakers who would highly benefit from them.

“These are also great opportunities to create a real community behind revolutionary movements like blockchain.”

Last year, film director Anthony Hopkins sold out an NFT collection based on characters in films he had already released.

Quentin Tarantino also created NFTs based on his ionic film Pulp Fiction. However, he was later involved in a major lawsuit with the film production company over copyright infringement.

Hollywood, Streaming Giants Scramble for Movie Rights to FTX Saga

November 24, 2022 Bitcoin.com

FTX miniseries gets go ahead, covering the ‘most brazen frauds ever committed’

November 24, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Amazon

The Russo’s are reported to have said that FTX “is one of the most brazen frauds ever committed” in their reasoning for wanting to create the show.

An eight-episode limited series exploring the unraveling and scandals behind sunken crypto exchange FTX and its leadership is slated to soon begin production.

The series has been purchased by technology conglomerate Amazon, and will likely air on Amazon’s video streaming service Prime.

It’s understood to be based on “insider reporting” from journalists covering FTX and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried according to a Nov. 23 report from the entertainment magazine Variety.

Brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, famed for directing Avengers: Endgame and multiple other Marvel-owned movies are reported to have sold the idea to Amazon and are slated to direct the mini-series.

Details are sparse with what direction the series will take, the source material it will draw from, and what time period and people it will focus on, with all of it still kept under wraps for the time being.

In their reason for pursuing a series on the FTX story, the Russos brothers told Variety what happened with the exchange “is one of the most brazen frauds ever committed,” and opined on Bankman-Fried:

“At the center of it all sits an extremely mysterious figure with complex and potentially dangerous motivations. We want to understand why.”

Amazon is slated to start producing the show as early as March 2023, and while the characters and the actors who will play them are unknown, it's reported the Russos are in discussions with prior Marvel actors they’ve worked with to fill the main roles.

The idea for FTX-inspired movies akin to The Big Short and the Wolf of Wall Street has already been joked around on Twitter over a week ago, with some members of the community already taking the initiative to cast who would play Sam Bankman-Fried, Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao and other related players, such as Terra's Do Kwon.

One Twitter user pitched the idea of “FTX THE MOVIE” on Nov. 12, selecting Wolf of Wall Street’s Jonah Hill to play Bankman-Fried, while comedian Jimmy O. Yang could play Changpeng Zhao.

#FTX THE MOVIE @SBF_FTX @cz_binance pic.twitter.com/DWorL6G7An
— EvilEyes (@SolanaEyes) November 11, 2022

Another user created a promotional poster with their take on the film’s title: “The Wolf of Effective Altruism” spoofing The Wolf of Wall Street and poking fun at Bankman-Fried’s philosophical stance of wanting to help others.

pic.twitter.com/o76cejBB4y
— Hanal Capital (@chillhanachill) November 13, 2022

It appears Hollywood is eager to snap up the rights to stories centered on the collapse of the world’s top crypto exchanges.

Author and financial journalist Michael Lewis, known for his book “The Big Short” on the 2008 financial crisis, is reportedly looking to sell book rights on an FTX story after spending six months with Bankman-Fried in the months leading up to FTX’s implosion.

Big Tech player Apple is reportedly the front-runner for the rights beating out competitors Amazon and Netflix, with intentions to create a film for its video-streaming service Apple TV Plus.

Fortune did not, in fact, favor the brave: Matt Damon’s Crypto.com TV spot turns one

October 28, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Business

Many in and out of the crypto space have parodied Matt Damon's appearance promoting the crypto exchange following the market downturn in May.

The crypto industry has had its share of issues with marketing, from projects many authorities labeled as scams to high-profile branding with sports franchises, but one ad that has stood out came from crypto exchange Crypto.com featuring Hollywood star Matt Damon.

Many have ridiculed the “fortune favors the brave” ad starring Damon since its release in October 2021, using the TV spot as a creative springboard to criticize the crypto space and celebrities supporting it. The creators of South Park have aired two episodes and one two-part special poking fun at crypto users and the Crypto.com ad specifically. Late night TV hosts including Stephen Colbert also targeted the ad spot with parodies and jokes following the market downturn in May.

*Still shot of Matt Damon in the Crypto.com TV spot, since made private on YouTube*

At the time Damon showed his face promoting the exchange, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) was more than $60,000, Ether (ETH) was more than $4,000, and the total crypto market capitalization was roughly $2.6 trillion. Though some tokens have delivered gains to many investors since that time, the prices of BTC and ETH have dropped more than 60% since 2021, reaching $20,627 and $1,552 at the time of publication, respectively.

It’s unclear how much Crypto.com may have compensated Damon for the ad — he also received $1 million in donations for Water.org — but the actor was not the only celebrity promoting crypto firms. Actor and producer Reese Witherspoon’s company partnered with a nonfungible token collection to develop feature films and a television series, and Kim Kardashian promoted the EthereumMax project on her Instagram stories — which later led to charges from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Today @SECGov, we charged Kim Kardashian for unlawfully touting a crypto security.

This case is a reminder that, when celebrities / influencers endorse investment opps, including crypto asset securities, it doesn’t mean those investment products are right for all investors.
— Gary Gensler (@GaryGensler) October 3, 2022

Other marketing and regulatory efforts by the crypto exchange seem to be continuing to move forward despite CEO Kris Marszalek announcing layoffs in June. Financial regulatory authorities in Italy, Cyprus, France and the United Kingdom have approved Crypto.com to offer crypto services to their residents, and the exchange proceeded with renovating the former Staples Center in Los Angeles following a $700-million agreement.

While Crypto.com inked many sponsorship deals with sports organizations prior to the market downturn, reports have suggested that the exchange may have reduced the scale of some of these partnerships. Cointelegraph reported in September that the crypto exchange dropped out of a half-billion-dollar sponsorship deal with the Union of European Football Associations Champions League. An October report suggested Crypto.com’s deals with the Los Angeles' Angel City Football Club, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and esports tournament host Twitch Rivals may also have been affected.

Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins sells out NFT collection in minutes

October 14, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

The collection features 1000 original cinematic art pieces inspired by the actor’s award-winning career.

Oscar award-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins has sold out his debut NFT collection “The Eternal Collection” in under 10 minutes.

The collection, created in partnership with Orange Comet Inc, an NFT and Web3-focused design agency, features 1000 original cinematic art pieces inspired by different performances within the actor’s long career.

According to the collection’s description on OpenSea, the body of work “conceptualizes an interpretation of the vast character archetypes Sir Anthony Hopkins has portrayed over his illustrious film career, drawing its potent energy from his stimulating body of art.”

The creative visuals and animations with names like, “The Jester”, “The Lover”, “The Ruler”, “The Rebel”, “The Giver”, and “The Eternal”. Each represents the various archetypal characters played throughout the Hollywood actor’s career.

The NFT, and Web3-focused design agency, Orange Comet Inc alleged that the collection’s sellout was the fastest in OpenSea’s history, though Cointelegraph was unable to confirm the claim prior to publication.

THE ETERNAL COLLECTION SOLD OUT IN LESS THAN 7 MINUTES

THE FASTEST SELL OUT IN @opensea HISTORY ‍

Thank you @AnthonyHopkins✌ pic.twitter.com/KYH0T1hXeu
— Orange Comet (@OrangeCometNFT) October 13, 2022

The celebrated actor thanked the NFT community in a tweet stating that he still couldn’t believe the news of the collection’s sell-out.

Thank you, everyone. I woke up this morning to this news, and I still can’t believe it. ‍#TheEternalCollection @opensea @OrangeCometNFT @InnerCityArts https://t.co/vwJGCqicri
— AHopkins.eth (@AnthonyHopkins) October 14, 2022

The unique 990 one-of-one NFT images come with randomly selected utilities ranging from receiving autographed dreamscapes art books featuring the actor's paintings and drawings, to intimate discussions with Anothony Hopkins via zoom, and random selections of personalized NFTs with a message from Hopkins airdropped into their wallets.

The project tweeted that this is the fastest-selling NFT collection on OpenSea, but Cointelegraph was unable to verify the accuracy of this claim prior to publication.

Influential celebrities that joined the crypto club over the past year

September 18, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

Despite the prolonged bear market and an evident dip in cryptocurrency prices, celebrities continue to pour in support for the crypto market.

The inclusive crypto ecosystem has become home to numerous A-list celebrities over the years — primarily driven by the nonfungible tokens (NFT) hype of 2021. However, despite the prolonged bear market and an evident dip in cryptocurrency prices, celebrities continue to pour in support for the crypto market.

Over the past year, celebrities have started exploring sub-ecosystems beyond NFTs, trying to diversify their presence across trading, gaming and other investment avenues. In this light, here’s an overview of some of the most influential celebrities that got into crypto over the past year and how well-prepared they are for the next bull run.

Connor McGregor partners with Tiger.Trade

UFC superstar Connor McGregor, one of the highest-paid athletes, recently partnered with Tiger.Trade, a crypto trading app. A part of the deal involves McGregor featuring in an in-house game that users can play to win exclusive prizes.

Who wants to play?!!! The only rule is to play #SmarterNotHarder Conor McGregor in the game! Are you ready to win with @tiger_trade? https://t.co/FlJX5prxHf pic.twitter.com/9ZCrRizxWC
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 12, 2022

Prior to signing as an ambassador for Tiger.Trade, McGregor’s involvement in crypto has been indirect via UFC partnerships with Crypto.com, wherein bonuses were paid to the fighters in cryptocurrencies.

The recent game launch, while well-received by fans for its graphics and prizes, was also subject to criticism related to the lack of story. Unlike the majority of top UFC fighters, McGregor has not linked his name with now-defunct NFT projects and continues to maintain secrecy around his investment choices in cryptocurrency.

Eminem purchases Bored Ape NFT for $460,000

Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, is one of the rare celebrities to make headlines for investing in NFT rather than trying to sell their collections. The fifteen-time Grammy winner purchased Bored Ape ‘EminApe’ NFT for $460,000, which depicts a gold chain necklace and khaki army cap that Eminem wears in real life.

Eminem’s connection with crypto dates back to 2018, when the rapper mentioned Bitcoin (BTC) in his newly released album Kamikaze. However, the subsequent NFT purchase established his interest in crypto investments. In June 2022, Eminem released a Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT-themed music video featuring rap legend and fellow crypto enthusiast Snoop Dogg.

While Eminem hasn’t publicly shared affinity toward any particular crypto asset for investments, the rapper continues to collaborate with BAYC for live performances.

Maria Sharapova became a strategic investor in Moonpay

Tennis legend Maria Sharapova, along with other A-list celebrities such as Gal Gadot, Bruce Willis and Justin Beiber, invested in crypto payment solution, Moonpay. The company revealed that more than 60 public figures and celebrities in the music, sports, media and entertainment industries joined hands to invest $87 million in a Series A funding from November 2021.

Excited to transform the way creatives, artists & athletes approach

Art
Fan engagement
‍⚖️Intellectual property management

With the help of our new strategic investors. pic.twitter.com/sfeH1Hhibh
— MoonPay (@moonpay) April 13, 2022

The investment marked Sharapova’s entry into the crypto world. However, the superstar is yet to reveal her plans for investments in crypto assets.

Snoop Dogg: The face of Web3 and NFTs

Snoop Dogg position as an OG stands true in the world of crypto considering his proactive involvement in the space for many years. Snoop’s first interaction with the crypto community started off with him warning against impersonators marketing fake Snoop Dogg-branded tokens and NFTs.

After acquiring knowledge about the industry, the rapper collaborated with numerous crypto projects, including crypto exchanges, Web3, games, and NFTs, effectively catalyzing the mainstream adoption of crypto.

Announcing the newest member on the Food Fighters Universe team @SnoopDogg AKA Dr. Bombay pic.twitter.com/itZqpG3neQ
— Food Fighters Universe | MINTING NOW (@FoodFightersU) June 3, 2022

Most recently, Snoop Dogg announced the launch of a new restaurant in Los Angeles inspired by BAYC NFTs, named Bored and Hungry. Despite the dimming down of the hype around NFTs, the smoke king continues to show love for the ecosystem.

Floyd Mayweather makes a crypto comeback

Legendary boxing champion Floyd Mayweather marked his entry into the cryptoverse in 2018, promoting a high-profile crypto scam called Centra Tech. Legal implications of promoting unvetted crypto projects required Mayweather and co-promoter DJ Khaled to pay fines of $600,000 and $150,000, respectively.

After many months of hard work
I’m launching my new NFT Project @mayweverse⁰
The collection will have 5,000 NFTs (5 different NFTs cards of 1,000 each).

Each card has a different rarity, utilities & prizes.

More information on the roadmap will be announced soon.

Stay Tuned pic.twitter.com/SxZ916p0HP
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) March 21, 2022

Learning from his previous mistakes, Mayweather launched a new NFT project Mayweverse — consisting of a collection of 5,000 NFTs. The boxer’s track record in being involved with projects that have rug-pulled investors has left his fans and the general public with mixed feelings about the new crypto project.

Matt Damon opts for philanthropy via crypto donations

Hollywood superstar Matt Damon received $1 million in donations from crypto exchange Crypto.com for Water.org, a clean-water initiative co-founded by Damon and Gary White in 2009. As part of the deal, Crypto.com recommended its user base chip in for the cause.

*Matt Damon starring in Crypto.com commercial. Source: YouTube*

Although Damon hasn’t disclosed his crypto investments, his participation in a Cypto.com commercial attracted criticism from a majority of the crypto community. Investors retaliated against Damon’s suggestion of “Fortune favors the brave” as the bear market resulted in massive losses across the industry.

Going against the rising trend of celebrity-backed NFT projects, consumer watchdog group Truth in Advertising (TINA.org) called out 19 celebrities promoting NFTs without disclosing their connection to the projects.

The non-profit consumer advocacy company revealed its intent to investigate celebrities that promote “deceptive” crypto investments. The website states:

“The promoter often fails to disclose material connection to the endorsed NFT company.”

Responding to TINA.org’s letters related to the promotion of NFTs on their social media accounts without disclosing their connection to the projects, Justin Bieber’s legal team responded by denying any wrongdoing. However, the team confirmed to update the posts on social media.

Quentin Tarantino settles Miramax lawsuit over Pulp Fiction NFTs

September 9, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

Miramax sued the Hollywood director in November last year after the blockchain provider Secret Network announced the auction of his "uncut screenplay scenes."

Miramax sued the director in November last year after the base-layer blockchain provider Secret Network announced the auction of "uncut screenplay scenes" from the 1994 film as NFTs. The film studio claimed to own all rights to "Pulp Fiction," except for those reserved for Tarantino, which excluded nonfungible tokens.

The company was developing its own NFT strategy at the time. In a statement, the studio's attorney Bart Williams wrote: “This one-off effort devalues the NFT rights to "Pulp Fiction," which Miramax intends to maximize through a strategic, comprehensive approach.”

On the auction's original press release, Secret Network claimed that Tarantino owned "exclusive rights to publish his Pulp Fiction screenplay and the original, handwritten copy has remained a personal creative treasure he has kept private for decades." The auction raised $1.1 million in January, but was followed by the cancellation of additional NFT sales due to the dispute.

Tarantino and Miramax have partnered in other successful productions, including "Kill Bill: Volumes 1 and 2". "Pulp Fiction" ended up grossing $107.93 million in the United States and $213 million worldwide in the years since its release in 1994.

Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino and producer Miramax appear to have settled their lawsuit over nonfungible tokens (NFTs) related to the blockbuster film Pulp Fiction following a months-long legal battle. The movie studio reportedly plans to withdraw its lawsuit within two weeks and collaborate with the filmmaker in the future, including on NFTs projects.

Dozens of VIP backers invest $87M into crypto payment startup MoonPay

April 13, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Dozens of VIP backers invest M into crypto payment startup MoonPay

Coin Telegraph

Ashton Kutcher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg are among MoonPay's strategic investors that have brought the company's valuation to $3.4 billion.

In November 2021, MoonPay announced a $555 million Series A financing round that brought the crypto payment platform's valuation to $3.4 billion. On Wednesday, the fintech company revealed that $87 million of the total $555 million came collectively from more than 60 public figures and celebrities in the music, sports, media and entertainment industries.

While the Series A round was led by firms like Tiger Global Management and Coatue with participation from Blossom Capital, Thrive Capital, Paradigm and NEA, the following household names are also considered strategic investors: Gwyneth Paltrow, Maria Sharapova, Eva Longoria, Gal Gadot, Matthew McConaughey and Bruce Willis. Other "industry VIPs" like Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton and Steve Aoki are all already deeply involved within the crypto and nonfungible token (NFT) space.

The company shared that this funding and the continued support from investors will enable it to accelerate its international expansion, grow the team and bring in new partners. MoonPay's longterm mission is to increase cryptocurrency access to the next 1 billion people by 2030.

Excited to transform the way creatives, artists & athletes approach

Art
Fan engagement
‍⚖️Intellectual property management

With the help of our new strategic investors. pic.twitter.com/sfeH1Hhibh
— MoonPay (@moonpay) April 13, 2022

MoonPay is best known for letting users purchase cryptocurrencies and NFTs with a credit or debit card, bank transfers or mobile wallets on Apple Pay and Google Pay. The investments have allowed the fintech startup to develop new products like NFT Checkout and MoonPay Concierge, a referral-based service for high-net-worth individuals that purchases crypto and NFTs on their behalf for a fee. For example, when actress Gwyneth Paltrow wanted a Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT she went to MoonPay and then thanked the company via Twitter.

Joined @BoredApeYC ready for the reveal? Thanks @moonpay concierge pic.twitter.com/gzm1JQEHHF
— Gwyneth Paltrow (@GwynethPaltrow) January 26, 2022

Paltrow, who is also the co-founder of Kinship Ventures, said in a statement that "Web3 is inspiring the entertainment industry, and commerce in general, to reimagine the way we create community, connect with fans, build value and manage intellectual property."

Rapper Post Malone even promoted MoonPay in his music video for “One Right Now” with The Weeknd by purchasing a BAYC NFT via the app onscreen. In addition to the music video, Malone recorded his purchase of two Bored Apes for a combined 160 Ether (ETH), worth roughly $682,000, in TikTok videos sponsored by MoonPay.

Apart from actors and artists, athletes like Paul George, a seven-time NBA All Star and Olympic Gold Medalist, recognized that “Crypto and NFTs will be key to maximizing the business of professional sports as we look ahead."

When asked how MoonPay plans to onboard the world to Web3, MoonPay's head of communications Justin Hamilton told Cointelegraph that the company is "Laser-focused on helping foster a healthy ecosystem of partners with reliable payment infrastructure." He added that the best way to foster adoption is by "Empowering creators to own their IP and have greater control on their creative output and financial support."

So far, 10 million customers across 160 countries have processed close to $3 billion in transactions via MoonPay through more than 250 partner sites, including Bitcoin.com and OpenSea, according to the company.

Crypto.com will air campaign in support of Ukraine during Academy Awards

March 25, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Awards

The platform will match many donations in crypto, fiat and nonfungible token purchases toward humanitarian help for Ukraine through March 31.

Cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com plans to use its ad time during the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday to air a TV spot regarding the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

In a Wednesday announcement, Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek said the exchange had partnered with the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, to launch a campaign aimed at helping those suffering under war-torn conditions in Ukraine. The CEO did not specify what the campaign would entail, but the platform already allows donations in crypto, fiat and nonfungible token purchases to the humanitarian network Red Cross Red Crescent. The exchange will match up to $1 million in donations until March 31.

“The humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate, and I believe it’s our responsibility to support those in need,” said Marszalek. “Throughout this tragedy, the entire cryptocurrency community has come together to show the world who we are, our values and the importance of what we’re building."

We're matching donations to the Red Cross Red Crescent all weekend, in support of people affected by the crisis in #Ukraine.

Donate now at https://t.co/iEUh6H77qP.@ifrc @icrc pic.twitter.com/kGd9ii65Zu
— Crypto.com/donate (@cryptocom) March 25, 2022

According to the ICRC, more than 3.6 million people have fled Ukraine as of March 24, which marked a month since Russian military forces invaded the country. Reports out of Ukraine suggest millions of people are facing food and water shortages, lack of medical care due to many hospitals being damaged or destroyed, and displacement after being forced to leave the eastern parts of the country.

Many private businesses are facilitating donations of digital assets including Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) towards helping Ukrainians. In addition to Ukraine’s government accepting crypto donations directly through wallet addresses provided by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the legislative body partnered with exchanges FTX and Kuna and staking platform Everstake to launch a donation website on March 14. Cointelegraph reported that as of March 9, many charities, relief organizations and government wallets had received roughly $108 million in crypto toward helping Ukraine.

In addition to its efforts for Ukraine, Crypto.com announced on Tuesday it would be an official sponsor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar scheduled to begin in November. The exchange has made a major marketing push in the last year, partnering with many sports organizations, including the Australia Football League, Formula 1 and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

hollywood