May 2, 2003
By Anjali Kochhar
The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF), the organization behind Wikipedia, has announced that it will no longer accept donations in cryptocurrencies.
“The Wikimedia Foundation has decided to discontinue direct acceptance of cryptocurrency as a means of donating,” the WMF said in an update.
In the update, the organization also mentioned that the organization will close its Bitpay account, preventing any future contributions in crypto.
The decision came after a discussion with almost 400 members of the WMF community, the majority of whom voted to do away with crypto contributions.
The community highlighted concerns including the environmental implications of Bitcoin, the risk of scams, and the fact that the WMF gets such a low amount of donations in cryptocurrency compared to other forms of payment.
The WMF first began accepting Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ether donations in 2014 only after the community prompted the organization to do so.
In conclusion, the WMF said, “We will continue to monitor this issue, and appreciate the feedback and consideration given to this evolving matter by people across the Wikimedia movement. We will remain flexible and responsive to the needs of volunteers and donors.”
Abou the author
Anjali Kochhar covers cryptocurrency stories in India as well as globally. Having been in the field of media and journalism for over three years now, she has developed a sharp news sense and works hard to present information that goes beyond the obvious. She is an avid reader and loves writing on a wide range of subjects.
