Is Charity the New Utility for Meme Coins? Binance’s Changpeng Zhao Thinks So - Here’s Why It’s Game-Changing
Meme coins finally found their purpose—and it's not what you'd expect.
Changpeng Zhao drops bombshell vision: charity as crypto's killer app.
Forget moon missions and Lambo dreams. The Binance CEO argues that meme coins could actually do some good—turning viral hype into real-world impact. It's a radical pivot from pure speculation to something resembling, well, utility.
But let's be real—since when did charity become a use case? In an industry obsessed with ROI and tokenomics, pitching philanthropy feels almost... rebellious. Or conveniently ESG-friendly.
Either way, it's a narrative shift that could stick—especially if it keeps regulators at bay. Because nothing disarms critics like giving back—except maybe giving back on a blockchain tracked, transparently.
Just don’t call it altruism. In crypto, even charity has a token price.
Giggle Academy Turns Meme Coin Momentum Into $880,000
The surge began when Rune, a trader and popular user on X (Twitter), suggested that meme coins could serve charitable functions.
“Hey CZ, WOULD Giggle accept donations from tokens? An utility of meme coins is charity,” Rune wrote on X (Twitter).
The trader pointed to past examples, such as Vitalik Buterin’s shiba inu donation and WaterCoin’s funding for MrBeast’s clean water project.
According to Rune, the response was immediate. Within hours, $880,000 had been donated, $56,000 of which came directly from GIGGLE trading fees, which flowed in at one point at $1,000 per minute.
The Giggle memecoin has donated $880,000 to @GiggleAcademy in its first 2 hours
I’m proud of the @BNBCHAIN community and glad to have raised awareness & helped raise funds that enable free education https://t.co/iN7XV1BHWu
Unlike previous meme-fueled charity efforts, GIGGLE takes a structured approach. The token, trading on BNB Chain, sends contributions in BNB rather than in its own token.
According to Rune, this is a healthy way to donate, as it avoids clogging the donation process with illiquid or unstable assets.
Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao Sets Expectations
Changpeng Zhao, meanwhile, set expectations, articulating that GiggleAcademy will convert/sell the meme coins it receives to major altcoins before spending. Against this backdrop, he warned GIGGLE token holders against imminent selling pressure.
“We appreciate the donations, but please don’t complain about the selling pressure later,” he noted.
Giggle Academy is the education initiative CZ pushed ahead of his arrest, and the project he committed to fostering following his release.
Some updates on @GiggleAcademy.
We got a team of 10 now. Some part time, some full time. All remote. We have calls together 3 times a week, in addition to adhoc smaller chats.
Hiring is on-going. I do a dozen interviews a week. We are targeting a 15 people team initially.
We…
Its mission is to offer free, high-quality education powered entirely by community donations. The project said contributions would go toward “Community Building & Creator Incentives, Ecosystem Development, Product Promotion & Impact Expansion.”
Further, 100% of the donated funds would be managed on-chain and accompanied by public reports for accountability.
Giggle Academy is now accepting public donations！✨Every contribution will help children access free, high-quality education.https://t.co/Dwy5q0rXde
How we use donations:
🤝 Community Building & Creator Incentives
🌱 Ecosystem Development
📢 Product Promotion & Impact… pic.twitter.com/xxlox04CAp
Markets, too, took notice. The GIGGLE token surged over 400% on PancakeSwap DEX before retracing, though it still sits up 164% overall.
The volatility mirrors the speculative nature of meme assets, yet speculation is fueling something tangible in this case.
Notwithstanding, with Giggle Academy being a free (0 revenue) education platform, it becomes challenging to incentivize contributors.
Based on this, CZ noted that GIGGLE donations could bridge this gap, potentially expanding coverage.
