Ripple is donating $300,000 to World Central Kitchen and Mercy Corps to fund emergency relief after catastrophic flooding swept through Nepal and Tibet, killing hundreds of people and leaving thousands missing.

The disaster struck on August 26, when a Himalayan glacier collapse sent ice, rock, mud and water rushing into river valleys near the Nepal-China border. By Sunday, the combined toll had reached 750 deaths and 3,044 missing, including 734 confirmed deaths in Nepal and 16 in Tibet, as rescue teams continued searching isolated communities and hydropower tunnels.

Glacier-related floods of this kind are a recurring hazard across the Hindu Kush Himalaya, a region scientists have flagged as increasingly exposed to such events as glaciers retreat and permafrost thaws, leaving downstream valleys and hydropower installations vulnerable.

Ripple Funds Meals, Water and Sanitation

According to Ripple, the funding will support emergency meal distribution through World Central Kitchen as well as water and sanitation work carried out by Mercy Corps. The company did not disclose how the $300,000 will be split between the two organizations.

World Central Kitchen teams were already working with restaurant partners in Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts after the floods destroyed settlements and cut off road access. The organization sent relief personnel toward the affected area to expand food distribution while local partners continued serving meals.

Mercy Corps is coordinating with local authorities and humanitarian groups to address urgent needs in the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridors. The organization has operated in Nepal since 2005, running disaster response and preparedness programs covering earthquakes, floods and landslides — a long-standing local presence that shapes how quickly aid groups can mobilize after sudden-onset disasters like this one.

Floods Destroy Roads and Bridges Across Nepal

The floodwaters moved rapidly downstream through Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, destroying homes, bridges, roads, power infrastructure and communications links. More than 90,000 people are estimated to have been affected across Nepal and Tibet, and fresh rainfall has complicated rescue operations while raising fears of further flooding.

UNICEF has identified more than 17,000 children in Nepal as needing humanitarian assistance and is deploying hygiene supplies, medical tents, newborn kits and nutrition support to affected communities.

Donation Extends Ripple's Humanitarian Funding

Ripple has previously combined direct grants with digital-asset infrastructure in its philanthropic programs. In 2025, the company made a $25 million education pledge, largely through its RLUSD stablecoin, supporting DonorsChoose and Teach For America.

The Nepal contribution follows other recent humanitarian funding from the crypto sector, including a $250,000 Ebola response grant from Binance supporting medical and relief work in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda — part of a broader pattern of crypto firms directing corporate giving toward disaster response, an arena long dominated by traditional corporate and government donors.

Ripple had established relationships with both recipient organizations before the Himalayan disaster. World Central Kitchen and Mercy Corps were among the nonprofits working with Ripple Payments and RLUSD on humanitarian payment initiatives, while Mercy Corps has separately tested blockchain-linked financial tools for vulnerable communities.

Original article