Bitwalking and Nokia Partner to Raise Education Funds With Crypto

UK startup Bitwalking, whose app allows users to generate cryptocurrency by simply walking, is partnering with Nokia on a crypto-based fundraising drive.

Also read: BitGive: Charity 2.0 Platform Will ‘Revolutionize Philanthropy’

Bitwalking CEO: Nokia Partnership ‘Vote of Confidence’

The Nokia-sponsored Walk for Cause event will run in tandem with the Futurecom Conference in Sao Paulo, October 17–20. Participants will accrue Bitwalking’s token, walking dollars (W$), which Nokia will convert to USD and donate to charity.

In a press release, Bitwalking CEO Nissan Bahar described Nokia’s coming on board as a “vote of confidence.”

“This vote of confidence from Nokia is an important step in realizing Bitwalking’s vision and plan,” he said. “Bitwalking is a currency for all, and in the current world landscape, technology on its own is not enough to reach everyone.”

The Bitwalking app lets users accrue W$ by walking or running, which they can then spend at a dedicated store or a selection of third parties. They can also exchange funds with other users. So far, the app is available for Android only, with a beta program inviting users to participate in expansion.

Nokia’s ‘Sustainability Vision’ And Crypto

The Nokia partnership aims to drive social awareness via Walk for Cause, urging users to use Bitwalking’s recently-unveiled Events Platform. The company is also canvassing for participants at its Futurecom stall.

“Our sustainability vision is to invent, design, and deploy technologies that make a real difference to people’s lives and take responsibility for the impact we can make in the world,” Nokia’s Latin America head Dimitri Diliani said. “Through this initiative we will be able to change the life of hundreds of children just by combining technology and a daily activity for a cause.”

The participating companies will donate proceeds from the event to undisclosed recipients in Latin America. They described them as “educational projects”, providing students with computers and Keepod devices.

“The new Bitwalking events platform drives user engagement and action for social good,” Bahar added.

Nokia’s two-year parent company Microsoft is no stranger to Blockchain experimentation. The IT giant has and continues to pioneer a raft of projects. Together with its other partnerships, it aims to expand the technology’s integration.

Whether Nokia will itself look to expand its participation in the cryptocurrency field remains unknown. The strained financial situation since Microsoft’s takeover is palpable, with a $950 billion write-off and staff job losses just the latest step in what is widely seen as an unsuccessful acquisition.

What do you think of the Bitwalking-Nokia initiative? Let us know in the comments section below!

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Nokia.

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