How Ukraine funds its defense through NFTs, war bonds, and crypto

The central point of the most recent initiative to raise money for Ukraine was a basic office that was located above a bakery in north London.

Isaac Kamlish and Nathan Cohen between the ages of 23 and 25 They gathered around their computers earlier this week to help launch the first ever sale of exclusive digital collectibles offered by the federal government.
Kyiv was capable of selling over 1,200 tokens that are non-fungible.
The auction utilized blockchain technology to create wartime funding. This highlights the fact that the Ukrainian government is using traditional as well as new methods to receive the money it needs to survive the crisis.
NFT, backed By PussyRit's member, raises $6.7M for Ukraine

Old school has been the best source of play. Kyiv has raked in approximately $1 billion in war bonds that were sold to private individuals as well as institutions in Ukraine. This is because the Ukrainians will lend money to the government even when they don't get all of their money back.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration also offered potential donors from all over the globe to transfer directly crypto, an effort that's resulted in more than $56 million according to analytics group Chainalysis. The NFT sale on Wednesday saw collectors from Los Angeles to Barcelona rush to take part in what they viewed as a major moment for both Ukraine as well as the cryptocurrency world.
"The Ukraine war is devastating and will go down in the history books," said Ben Jacobs, the co-founder of Scenius Capital. an investment firm that invests in digital assets. "This use of crypto technology is also significant in its own right."
Jacobs who lives in Venice Beach, California, bought two NFTs. He paid $1,100 and small fees. The Ukrainian government was able to receive around $1000 in the form of ether (the cryptocurrency that is most often used for NFTs)
A fundraising rush
In Europe and the United States, people have been showing their support for Ukraine by hanging blue and yellow flags on buildings, hosting local fundraising events, and updating their avatars on social media.
Zelensky's staff requires more than just gestures and words. To keep Ukraine's government running and provide its military with the necessary equipment, Kyiv requires cash -and a lot of it. According to the report the conflict could bring in $565 billion for the country. The GDP of the country for 2020 was $155 Billion.
"Our fiscal hole is greater than we thought," Yuriy Butsa of Ukraine's debt management agency said to CNN Business. The gap between government revenue (and spending) is known as the fiscal gap.
In the five weeks since Russia invaded, the Russian government has made an unprecedented effort to raise funds on a global basis.
Viktor Szabo a fund manager at Abrdn (UK-based) said that the fund managers are innovative.
A man wearing a ribbon featuring the colors of the Ukrainian Flag, uses an iPhone in Barcelona to snap photos of Mar. 1.

Kyiv is relying on tried and tested ways to raise cash. Ukraine has received nearly $4 billion in emergency funds from multilateral institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. An additional $2 billion is being sought out for negotiation.
The company also uses the traditional war bonds. These are bonds issued by governments during a conflict to raise support. They also aid in fighting inflation, since it removes cash from circulation during a time when there's often a shortage of products.
Five local currency bonds were issued in March by Ukraine which raised approximately $1 million. Butsa said there was a significant demand from both private as well as institutional customers. https://cryptoblogstar.com/what-is-a-green-cryptocurrency-and-does-... is the beneficiary and these funds are used to fund expenses like pensions and emergency services.
"There are many people buying $10,000, $5,000 of this instrument," Butsa said.
In the current market it's a risky move to buy these bonds. One-year notes that were issued last month had a yield at 11%. This is a very high level of risk. It is not possible to guarantee repayment in the event that Zelensky's government is dissolved or exiled, and a long war damages the Ukrainian economy.
S&P Global Ratings reduced its rating for Ukraine's credit just after the invasion. The company stated that while it believes that the international community will assist Ukraine in meeting its funding needs for the next twelve months, there remains the risk of disruptions in governance that could put commercial debt servicing at serious risk.
Butsa claimed that the Ukrainian government is working "24/7" with bankers to come up with a brand new dollar bond that could be sold to foreign investors, many of which want to invest in Kyiv but are held back by capital controls that prevent them from collecting returns in Ukraine's currency, along with other logistical issues.
"Our intention is to offer an instrument that allows any person who wishes to support Ukraine living in the US and has an account with local financial institutions, could easily support us," Butsa said. His team is also exploring options within the European Union.
Professional investors, who are required to protect their clients’ funds as well as support Ukraine could be cautious about loaning money to Ukraine at the moment.
Szabo declared that it was impossible to make investments in assets when there is a good chance that the money will not be returned. But, he also said that he believes the market could be appealing once the war has ended.
Working with the crypto angle
Because Ukraine is concerned about dramatically increasing its debt burden There are financing options that don't require borrowing.
"We do not want to end up, as the war is in the process of reconstruction, to spend more on the debt service than we pay to rebuild infrastructure," Butsa said.
This is the area where NFT sales and crypto donations can be helpful. Ukraine has been encouraging users via social media to transfer bitcoins and other cryptocurrency for several weeks. The effort has given the authorities access to a huge collection of small-scale donors who don't have to be concerned about complicated financial contracts or conversion of currency.
Chainalysis reported that Kyiv had raised around $56 million in crypto with a median amount at $30. Alex Bornyakov, Ukraine's deputy minister of digital transformation declared last month that the funds was used to purchase helmets, bulletproof vests walkie-talkies, and other medical equipment.
People gather under a huge Ukrainian flag in a vigil to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine in front of the White House on Feb. 24.

The auction of the NFT Ukraine's flag flag by UkraineDAO was supported by a member from the Russian activist group Pussy Riot. More than $6.7 million was raised .
This week saw the official NFT sale that was the start of a new phase. The auction featured digital art made by local artists, and combining vibrant images with wartime artifacts, such as tweets, which were bought by supporters from all over the world.
Kevin Lista Navarro, a 26-year-old financial adviser in Barcelona has previously made donations to help refugees from Ukraine. He considered the NFT Auction as a chance and bought two tickets.
"Thanks this technology, you can are now able to contribute and receive in exchange a commemorative work or piece of art," he said. They might even be valuable in the future, who knows?
Kamlish Cohen and Bentata The London team behind the nascent FAIR.xyz platform was utilized in the sale -- were recruited after cold emailing the Ukrainian government. They've been part of the launch for the past two and a half months, pulling late hours and working on adrenaline.
Bentata said, "It's just crazy.”
Kamlish said that even though there was plenty of traffic on the website, it went smoothly.
Jacobs of Scenius Capital said, "How Ukraine has really leaned towards crypto in order to get financial support... It shows how governments lean into cryptocurrency and NFT technology, instead of resenting against it due to it being brand new and terrifying."

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