Blockchain philanthropy is gaining momentum, with Blockchain For Impact (BFI) surpassing $90 million in allocations toward healthcare, biomedical research, and climate resilience.

The initiative, founded by Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal, has also earmarked an additional $200 million for future efforts, signaling the growing role of cryptocurrency in global giving.

Crypto Donations Gain Mainstream Traction

BFI’s expansion aligns with broader trends in cryptocurrency-based philanthropy. According to a recent report by The Giving Block, global crypto donations exceeded $1 billion in 2024. For the most part, clearer regulations and increasing nonprofit acceptance of digital assets drove the surge.

Currently, over 70% of major US charities accept crypto donations. Healthcare and medical initiatives account for 14% of contributions. Analysts predict crypto philanthropy could reach $2.5 billion by the end 2025.

BFI is leveraging this shift by integrating blockchain’s transparency and decentralized funding model to address systemic challenges in healthcare and climate action. The initiative aims to ensure funds reach their intended targets efficiently, avoiding bureaucratic delays that often hinder traditional charitable efforts.

Among BFI’s notable projects is its partnership with the SELCO Foundation. The venture saw a $6 million investment accelerate the solarization of 25,000 public health centers in India. The initiative, which might have taken a decade to implement through conventional means, has significantly improved medical service reliability.

In a statement shared with BeInCrypto, BFI revealed plans to launch large-scale programs to sustain its impact. Its flagship initiative, the BFI-BIOME Virtual Network Program, aims to support 46 startups through grants, fellowships, and partnerships with 15 medical colleges over three years. The program is expected to engage over 600 researchers in more than 50 projects.

The European Biomedical Exchange Program will also help Indian startups navigate international regulations and secure venture capital investment.

“We’re building scalable systems to transform healthcare for generations by combining blockchain’s transparency with collaborative funding,” read the announcement, citing Nailwal.

With an additional $200 million set aside for upcoming projects, BFI aims to expand its reach in medical research, startup development, and climate resilience. Meanwhile, the challenges surrounding crypto philanthropy are becoming more pronounced.

Challenges for Crypto Philanthropy

However, crypto donations also raised concerns regarding illicit funding. According to a report from Chainalysis, the HTS rebel group in Syria received crypto donations before claiming victory in the Syrian Civil War.

This case highlights the dual-edged nature of crypto philanthropy, where digital assets can be used for humanitarian causes and nefarious activities.

In South Korea, universities have struggled with managing cryptocurrency donations due to regulatory uncertainties and tax complexities. This has led to hesitancy in accepting digital asset contributions despite their potential to fund research and scholarships.

Adding to the complexities, embattled crypto exchange FTX recently ramped up its legal actions, filing 20 lawsuits targeting political donations and fraudulent transactions linked to the FTX collapse. This reflects the broader risks associated with unregulated crypto donations and the need for transparency in digital asset philanthropy.

A recent survey by CoinGecko has revealed that two in five crypto participants are optimistic about the potential of crypto artificial intelligence (AI) products and token prices in 2025. 

However, while optimism is evident, a significant portion of the community remains uncertain. This indicates a mixed sentiment surrounding this emerging sector.

Are Crypto Participants Bullish on the Future of Crypto AI?

CoinGecko’s survey ran from February 20 to March 10, 2025, and gathered responses from 2,632 crypto enthusiasts worldwide. The respondents comprised a diverse mix, including long-term investors (51%), short-term traders (26%), builders (10%), and spectators on the sidelines (13%).

A closer look at experience levels revealed that 53% of participants were in their first crypto cycle (0-3 years), while 34% had 4-7 years of experience. The remaining 13% had over eight years in the space. Geographically, 93% of respondents hailed from Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa, providing a broad global perspective.

Importantly, the results indicated that 46.9% of respondents held a bullish outlook on crypto AI products, including their use cases and technology. This reflected confidence in the sector’s growth potential. 

“Specifically, 19.9% felt somewhat bullish about crypto AI products, and a larger 27.0% of survey respondents were fully bullish,” CoinGecko reported.

Coingecko’s Research Analyst, Yuqian Lim, pointed out that the growing enthusiasm in the crypto sector might be linked to the enhanced and increasingly widespread applications of crypto when integrated with AI technology.

Conversely, 24.1% of respondents expressed bearish sentiments, signaling skepticism regarding the immediate prospects of crypto AI.

“Almost one out of every four survey respondents continue to feel skeptical about the potential of crypto AI technology and its use cases, at least in the immediate term,” the report added.

This divided sentiment also extended to perceptions of crypto AI prices, with 44.3% expressing optimism. Meanwhile, 26.4% leaned pessimistic.

“This perhaps shows that crypto participants are not differentiating between crypto AI’s investing or trading potential and the technology itself,” Lim noted.

She further emphasized that these market sentiments might reflect an expectation for crypto AI to move beyond conceptual stages and mature as a functional sector. Despite the divide between bullish and bearish perspectives, a significant portion of respondents maintained a neutral stance. 29.0% and 29.3% of the participants selected a neutral position on products and token prices, respectively. 

In fact, survey results showed that the neutral response category received the highest selection compared to other sentiment options. This implied either indecision or a wait-and-see approach as the technology matures.

Additionally, sentiment varied significantly across different adoption groups. Despite being pioneers in the crypto AI narrative, only 46.8% of innovators were bullish on crypto AI products, with a similar 44.8% bullish on token prices. Notably, a significant portion, 28.9% for products and 30.0% for prices, were bearish.

In contrast, early adopters and the early majority showed greater optimism. The late majority displayed notably less bullishness. The laggards exhibited the strongest bearish sentiments, with 41.3% viewing crypto AI products negatively and 43.1% holding bearish views on token prices.

“The ‘Laggard’ group also had the smallest share of neutral sentiments, which suggests that this group has the strongest opinions despite being the latest to the crypto AI narrative,” the survey revealed.

The survey comes at a challenging time for the sector. It has seen a significant downturn after peaking earlier this year. 

Major catalysts that previously triggered rallies have recently failed to spark the same momentum. This is exemplified by the AI coins market cap taking a dip following Nvidia’s GTC Conference.

Despite the downturn, the sector has shown a slight recovery, with a 4.3% increase recorded over the past day. However, this recovery was not isolated. The broader market also saw an uptick following the Fed’s decision to keep US interest rates unchanged.

PI has been in a persistent downtrend since the start of March. With bearish pressure intensifying over the past week, the token has shed 32% of its value in seven days.

Further losses appear likely as selling pressure strengthens among PI market holders.

PI Bulls Struggle as Trading Activity Plummets

PI currently trades at $1.17, noting a 1% price rise over the past day. Despite this modest uptick, PI’s declining trading volume suggests that the slight rebound is not backed by strong demand for the altcoin. It merely mirrors the broader market growth recorded over the past 24 hours. 

During the review period, PI’s trading volume totals $366 million, down 37%. When an asset’s price rises while trading volume declines, it suggests that the upward movement lacks strong buyer participation, making the rally weak or unsustainable.

This indicates reduced market interest, as fewer PI traders are supporting the increase. If volume does not pick up, the token’s price may struggle to maintain its gains and could resume its decline. 

Further reinforcing the negative outlook, PI’s BBTrend remains in the red, confirming that bearish forces are firmly in control. Observed on a four-hour chart, the momentum indicator is at -32.45, the lowest it has ever been since PI launched. 

The BBTrend indicator measures the strength and direction of an asset’s price movement in relation to the Bollinger Bands. A positive BBTrend value signals an uptrend, indicating that prices are pushing toward the upper band with strong momentum.

Conversely, a negative BBTrend value indicates a downtrend, suggesting that the asset is trading closer to the lower band, with bearish pressure prevailing.

When an asset’s BBTrend is deep in negative territory like PI’s, it indicates a strong and persistent downtrend, with sellers firmly in control. This suggests that PI’s price declines are not just short-term corrections but part of a broader bearish trend accompanied by significant volatility. 

PI Holds Critical $1.11 Support—Will Bulls Prevent a Drop to $0.87?

PI currently holds above the support formed at $1.11. If selloffs intensify, the bulls might be unable to defend this support floor, causing the token’s price to plummet to $0.87.

On the other hand, a positive shift in market sentiment and a resurgence in new demand for PI would invalidate this bullish projection. In that scenario, the token’s price could resume its rally and climb toward $1.34.