Revolut first enabled millions of customers worldwide to instantly donate to the Red Cross Ukraine appeal on 25 February, raising more than €1 million in the first 24 hours. Since then, customers in more than 50 countries have used Revolut to make free and instant donations to their local Red Cross Ukraine appeal.
On 1 March Revolut CEO, Nik Storonsky announced a seven-day initiative to match every donation made up to £1.5 million. In 7 days, the amount donated has already topped €10 million with more than 300,000 customers donating.
These vital funds will be used to provide first aid and humanitarian aid to both the war victims in Ukraine, as well as to the millions of Ukrainian refugees now fleeing their homeland. 100% of the funds goes to the Red Cross and donations are free and instant. Revolut has long-standing partnerships with the Red Cross, which helped expedite launching the humanitarian appeal to millions of its customers. To date, Revolut has enabled instant Red Cross donations for users in all EEA countries, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Australia.
The Red Cross has encouraged people to donate funds - which will support local sourcing or critical items - rather than donating physical items due to the pressure on transport infrastructure in the region and the difficulty of getting goods to the area. Red Cross teams are on the ground now in Ukraine, as well as the surrounding countries such as Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary to support Ukrainian Refugees.
The International Red Cross said in a statement on their website last week: “Communities in Ukraine have been bearing the brunt of eight long years of conflict. Even before recent developments, this is a conflict that hits people daily on personal, psychological and emotional levels, bringing death, injury and separation from loved ones, as well as the huge mental toll of ongoing violence and insecurity.”
Christopher Guttridge, head of Revolut’s donations team, commented: “We are delighted to see the resounding support of our customers worldwide who have rallied behind the important work of the Red Cross. Through our instant, fee-free donations and matching programme we are proud to use technology to speed vital support to those who need it most. Everyone at Revolut is proud to be part of a British company with global reach assisting the Ukrainian people in their time of need.Our customers’ generosity will enable many more people to benefit from the critical work of the Red Cross team on the ground in Ukraine and surrounding countries.”
