A cryptocurrency donation made to Malta in 2018 has unexpectedly ballooned in value, sparking renewed calls for transparency over its status.

Back in November 2018, Binance’s Blockchain Charity Foundation (BCF) partnered with the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF) to raise around $200,000 worth of Binance Coin (BNB) to help terminal cancer patients.

At the time, BNB was worth under $7. The campaign collected roughly 30,644 BNB, with Binance pledging that the funds would directly support around 15,000 patients in Malta.

However, due to administrative disputes and legal wrangling, the donations were never distributed – and the funds remain untouched.

Now, with BNB trading above $1,375, those same tokens are worth nearly $39 million.

The issue resurfaced this week after Coinbase executive Conor Grogan posted on X (formerly Twitter), drawing attention to the dormant wallet and urging Maltese citizens to seek accountability.

“In 2018, Binance and crypto users donated $200,000 in BNB to Malta terminal cancer patients. The funds were never withdrawn and remain untouched, now worth $39M,” he wrote.

Legal disputes stalled the initiative

The partnership between Binance’s charity arm and MCCF became strained in 2021, when then-President George Vella accused Binance of failing to deliver over $8 million in pledged donations.

According to reports at the time, MCCF even filed a court injunction to stop the Binance Charity Foundation from transferring the crypto funds to the US, where it claimed it wanted to consolidate its operations.

Binance argued that it could not confirm MCCF would use the crypto properly without verifying patient details – something MCCF refused to provide, citing data protection laws.

The lawsuit was later withdrawn after Binance produced the necessary financial records, but the funds have since remained dormant.

For now, the $39 million donation – originally meant to ease the suffering of cancer patients – continues to sit idle on the blockchain.