Ripple gives $300K to Nepal and Tibet flood relief

Ripple pledged $300,000 on Aug. 29 to support emergency relief following catastrophic floods across Nepal and China’s Tibet region.

The San Francisco-based blockchain company will divide its support between World Central Kitchen and Mercy Corps. The organizations are providing meals, clean water and sanitation support to affected communities.

Ripple donation supports two established aid partners

Ripple said World Central Kitchen is distributing meals in the hardest-hit areas. Mercy Corps is coordinating water, sanitation and other humanitarian work with local authorities and partner organizations.

Both organizations had worked with Ripple before the disaster. Ripple has supported World Central Kitchen since 2020 and has partnered with Mercy Corps on projects using blockchain technology for humanitarian finance.

World Central Kitchen said its local restaurant partners were already serving meals in Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. Members of its relief team were also traveling to the area to expand the response.

Mercy Corps has operated in Nepal since 2005. Its previous work has included earthquake, flood and landslide responses alongside disaster-preparedness and early-warning programs.

Nepal and Tibet face rising casualties

Authorities reported that the death toll had reached 750 by Sunday morning, while more than 3,000 people remained missing across Nepal and Tibet, according to a Reuters update.

Nepal recorded 734 deaths and 2,498 missing people. Officials in Tibet’s Gyirong County reported 16 deaths and 546 missing. Those figures may change as rescue workers reach isolated locations.

The Red Cross estimated that more than 90,000 people were affected. Roads, bridges, power infrastructure and entire settlements were damaged or destroyed, restricting access to food, water and emergency services.

Hundreds of workers were also believed to be trapped inside damaged hydropower tunnels. Nepal requested international assistance for tunnel rescues, forensic identification, DNA testing and storage of recovered bodies.

A glacier collapse triggered the flooding

Scientists linked the disaster to a glacier collapse that released ice, rock, mud and debris into the mountain river system on Aug. 26. The resulting torrent moved through communities on both sides of the Nepal-China border.

World Central Kitchen said an ice-rock avalanche temporarily blocked the Lhende Khola River before releasing a sudden surge downstream. The flood destroyed villages and infrastructure along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors.

Rescue operations have faced repeated interruptions because of rain, rising water and lakes formed behind landslide debris. Drones later identified another natural dam and a new pool of water downstream from the original lake.

Chinese state media attributed the collapse to glacier instability linked to long-term warming. Scientists continue to study the event, and the exact contribution of climate change requires further assessment.

Ripple has used aid partnerships beyond donations

Ripple previously provided cash and XRP to World Central Kitchen for responses to hurricanes and other disasters. The company reported more than $200 million in charitable donations between 2018 and the end of 2024.

Its Mercy Corps partnership has also tested blockchain-based aid distribution. As Ripple used RLUSD for drought-relief payments in Kenya, smart contracts were designed to release assistance when satellite data detected defined drought conditions.

Ripple did not say that XRP, RLUSD or another cryptocurrency would be used for the Nepal and Tibet donation. Its announcement described a $300,000 contribution without identifying the payment method.

World Central Kitchen and Mercy Corps continue to accept public contributions through their official websites. Neither organization has announced when its emergency response will end.