Notes

How Ukraine finance its defense using war bonds, NFTs, and crypto

The latest effort to raise money for Ukraine started in a tiny office above a London bakery.

Isaac Kamlish, Nathan Cohen, and Isaac Bentata were between 23 and 25 years old.
In just 24 hours Kyiv, using technology developed by the trio, has sold more than 1,200 non-fungible coins which are also known as NFTs. They raised around $600,000 to fund Kyiv's defence against Russia.
The auction, which made innovative use of blockchain technology for financing during wartime, demonstrates how Ukraine’s government is using both old and new tools to create the cash it needs in the midst of the crisis.
NFT, backed By PussyRit's member, raises $6.7M for Ukraine

One strategy has been to go back to the past. Kyiv has brought in around $1 billion in war bonds that were sold to individuals and institutions across Ukraine. It's due to the fact that people are willing to lend money to the government even knowing that they might not receive the entire amount back.
President Volodymyr Zelesky's administration encouraged potential donors around the globe to transfer cryptocurrency directly. The effort has raised more than $56 million, according to Chainalysis, an analytics group. Collectors from Los Angeles, Barcelona and elsewhere rushed to buy NFTs this Wednesday. how to stake world mobile token saw it as an important moment for both the crypto world and in Ukraine.
"The Ukraine war, which was so destructive is a memory that will last forever," said Ben Jacobs. Scenius Capital is a digital asset investment company. "This use of crypto technology is historical."
Jacobs, who lives in Venice Beach, California, purchased two NFTs. He spent $1,100 plus small fees. The government of Ukraine received $1000 in ether (the cryptocurrency that is most often used to fund NFTs)
A fundraising rush
The people of both Europe as well as the United States have been showing their support for Ukraine, by hanging blue or yellow flags on their buildings, holding local events, and changing avatars on social media.
Zelensky's team needs more than just gestures and words. Kyiv must have plenty of money to keep its government in functioning and to equip its army. According to it the war could result in $565 billion for the nation. The GDP of the country for 2020 was $155 billion.
"Our budget gaps are greater than we anticipated at the beginning of the year," Yuriy Butsa - Ukraine's public debt commissioner management said to CNN Business. She was referring specifically to the gap between public revenues and expenditure.
The government has launched an unprecedented effort to raise funds on a global level in order to bridge this divide within the five weeks following the Russian invasion.
Viktor Szabo (a fund manager at Abrdn an investment company based in the UK) company) declared that "these people are being innovative."
A man sporting a ribbon that carries the colors of the Ukrainian flag is seen using the phone in Barcelona and Mar. 1.

Kyiv utilized tried-and-tested strategies to raise money. Ukraine has already received $4 billion in emergency financing from multilateral organisations which include the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Bank. A further $2 billion is currently being negotiated.
It also makes use of classic war bonds. These are bonds that are issued by the government during wars to boost support. They can be useful in combating inflation since they eliminate cash during times when goods are in high demand.
Five bonds issued in local currency during March helped Ukraine bring in around $1 billion. Butsa noted that there was an enormous demand from both banks and institutions and individuals. The proceeds go into the pots of the government, and then are utilized to pay for costs like pensions and emergency services.
Butsa indicated that "a large number of people purchase this instrument for $10,000 or $5,000."
This is the reason you have to leap of faith when purchasing bonds during the current economic environment. The yield for one-year notes last month was 11%. This indicates the high risk. The repayment of Zelensky’s government or exile or the duration of a conflict that devastates Ukraine's economy would not be sure.
S&P Global Ratings cut its credit rating for Ukraine immediately after the invasion. The company said that even though the international community has been expected help Ukraine in its financial needs over 12 months, there is the risk of "governance disruptions" which could lead to commercial debt servicing being put at risk.
Butsa said that the Ukrainian government works "24/7" together alongside its bankers, in order to come up with a dollar-backed bond that it could offer to foreign investors. While many investors are looking to help, they are also hindered by capital control that prevents them from collecting any returns in Ukraine’s currency.
Butsa said that "our intention is to offer [an]instrument where every person who needs support for Ukraine living in the United States, with their accounts at the local banks, can easily help us." Butsa's team is also looking at alternatives inside the European Union.
Professional investors, who have to protect their clients' funds as well as support Ukraine, might be hesitant about lending money to Ukraine in the present.
Szabo said that it is not possible to invest in assets when there is a good likelihood that the investment will not be returned. However, he said that he believes the market could become attractive again once the war ends.
We are working with the crypto angle
Since Ukraine isn't keen on the growth of the amount of debt it has, it's appealing to look at alternatives to financing that don't require borrowing.
Butsa said, "We don’t want to finish the war, when it moves into the reconstruction phase" paying more for debt service rather than building infrastructure.
This is where NFT sales and crypto donations can aid. Ukraine has been encouraging people on social media to donate bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies for weeks. This has allowed the authorities access to an enormous collection of small-scale donors who do not have to worry about complicated financial agreements or conversion of currency.
Chainalysis reported to CNN Business that Kyiv raised about $56 million worth of crypto-related funds as of March 28. This was in addition to an average donation of $30. Alex Bornyakov from Ukraine was the deputy minister for Digital Transformation. He stated that the money was used to buy bulletproof vests, and helmets as well as walkie–talkies and medicines.
As one bitcoin of a demonstration against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, people stand under a huge Ukrainian flag in the front of the White House on February 24.

A sale of an NFT of Ukraine's flag was conducted by UkraineDAO, an initiative backed by an ally of the Russian activist group Pussy Riot, raised more than $6.7 million.
This week was the first officially launched NFT sale that was the beginning of a brand new phase. Supporters from around the world purchased digital images made by local artists. The images incorporated vibrant imagery and artifacts of war such as tweets.
Kevin Lista Navarro, a 26-year-old financial advisor in Barcelona, previously donated to aid refugees from Ukraine. He was still awed by the NFT auction and bought two lots.
"Thanks to this new technology, we now have the possibility to give back to the cause and receive in return a piece of commemorative work of art," he said. "Who knows what these pieces of art will be worth in the near future."
Kamlish Cohen, Cohen and Bentata were the London-based group whose nascent FAIR.xyz platform was used to sell the service. They were hired by cold emailing officials in Ukraine after the NFT project's announcement. They've been working for two and a half weeks and are working late at night and high on adrenaline in order to make sure that the platform is ready for launch.
Bentata stated that "it's been absolutely insane."
Kamlish said that the process was smooth despite the huge traffic on the site from malicious actors.
Jacobs of Scenius Capital remarked, "How Ukraine has really lean into cryptocurrency as a way to gain support from the financial sector... it proves that governments can utilize crypto and NFT technology to provide an alternative to rebelling simply because it's a bit scary and novel."

Here's my website: https://www.bankrate.com/investing/types-of-cryptocurrency/