Ripple chips in $300K for Nepal and Tibet flood relief — but won’t say if crypto is involved San Francisco-based Ripple announced on Aug. 29 that it is donating $300,000 to emergency relief after catastrophic floods swept across Nepal and China’s Tibet region. The company said it will split the funds between World Central Kitchen (WCK) and Mercy Corps, both of which are on the ground delivering food, water and sanitation support to affected communities. What the money will fund - World Central Kitchen: distributing hot meals through local restaurant partners in the hardest-hit districts, including Rasuwa and Nuwakot, and expanding relief teams in the area. - Mercy Corps: coordinating water, sanitation and other humanitarian services with local authorities and partners; the NGO has operated in Nepal since 2005 and brings experience from past earthquake, flood and landslide responses as well as disaster-preparedness programs. Context and impact Authorities reported the death toll had reached about 750 by Sunday morning, with more than 3,000 people still missing, according to a Reuters update. Nepal recorded 734 deaths and 2,498 missing; Tibet’s Gyirong County reported 16 dead and 546 missing. The Red Cross estimates more than 90,000 people have been affected. Roads, bridges, power infrastructure and entire settlements were damaged or destroyed, cutting access to food, water and emergency services. Hundreds of workers are believed trapped inside damaged hydropower tunnels, and Nepal has requested international assistance for tunnel rescues, forensic identification, DNA testing and body storage. What caused the disaster Scientists link the catastrophe to a glacier collapse on Aug. 26 that released ice, rock, mud and debris into mountain rivers. World Central Kitchen described an ice-rock avalanche that temporarily dammed the Lhende Khola River and then sent a sudden surge downstream, devastating villages and infrastructure along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli corridors. Rescue efforts have been repeatedly interrupted by rain, rising water and lakes forming behind landslide debris; drones recently identified another natural dam and a new pool downstream. Chinese state media and some scientists point to glacier instability tied to long-term warming, though researchers say the exact role of climate change is still being assessed. Why this matters for crypto communities Ripple has a track record of combining cash and crypto-era tools in humanitarian work. The firm has supported World Central Kitchen since 2020 and has experimented with blockchain-based aid distribution alongside Mercy Corps. Earlier projects tested RLUSD and smart contracts that released assistance when satellite data met drought thresholds, and Ripple has previously provided both cash and XRP for hurricane and disaster responses. The company reports more than $200 million in charitable donations between 2018 and the end of 2024. Notably, Ripple’s latest announcement did not specify whether XRP, RLUSD or any other digital asset will be used for the Nepal-Tibet contribution — it described a $300,000 donation without naming the payment method. How to help World Central Kitchen and Mercy Corps continue to accept public donations through their official websites. Neither organization has set an end date for the emergency response. Ripple’s gift adds to broader international relief efforts as rescue teams and scientists continue to work in dangerous, rapidly changing conditions. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news