French NGO Becomes First Charity to Keep Crypto Donations On-Chain Using Tezos

A French nonprofit is turning to blockchain to make international aid more transparent.

Planète Enfants & Développement (PE&D), a Paris-based NGO founded in 1984, has partnered with crypto payments provider Lyzi to become the first French charity to accept cryptocurrency donations and keep a portion of those funds on-chain using infrastructure built on Tezos.

The initiative will support the Pegasus Project, a three-year program focused on preventing child trafficking and exploitation across Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

According to PE&D, traditional cross-border banking fees can reduce aid transfers by as much as 10-15% before funds reach recipients. By utilizing Lyzi's Tezos-based payment infrastructure, the organization hopes to reduce those costs while providing greater transparency around how donations move through its aid network.

The NGO currently operates with a commitment that 86% of donations received reach field operations.

"Transparency, traceability, speed of transfer, and greater financial autonomy for local communities are now essential requirements in philanthropy," said Mylène Massé, Philanthropy Manager at PE&D.

"This is why PE&D decided to innovate by becoming the first French NGO to keep a portion of donations on-chain all the way to the last mile."

Why Tezos?

The project is being powered by Lyzi, a French fintech company built on Tezos that already supports cryptocurrency payments across more than 2,000 merchants and one million connected payment terminals throughout Europe.

Rather than immediately converting crypto donations into fiat currency, PE&D plans to use Lyzi's infrastructure to maintain visibility over how funds move across borders before ultimately reaching beneficiaries.

Tezos was selected for its low transaction costs and energy-efficient proof-of-stake architecture, making it suitable for smaller, high-frequency transfers.

"Blockchain is not about speculation; it's about removing friction from human connection," said Damien Patureaux, CEO and Co-Founder of Lyzi.

"When a donor in Paris supports a child in Cambodia, banking intermediaries should not stand in the way."

Supporting 9,000 Children

The Pegasus Project is expected to support approximately 9,000 children and family members over three years through prevention programs, shelter support, education initiatives, and family assistance payments.

Some funds will be distributed through humanitarian fintech provider Koala Pay, creating what the organizations describe as a fully auditable aid corridor between donors and beneficiaries.

PE&D has established a fundraising target of €300,000 for the project and is accepting donations in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tezos, and more than 80 other cryptocurrencies.

While crypto donations are nothing new, PE&D's decision to keep funds on-chain deeper into the aid distribution process represents a different approach — one that could provide a blueprint for how blockchain technology is used in international philanthropy.