Argentine Freemasons want to put NFTs to philanthropic work

by · September 6, 2022

The Argentine Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons is jumping into non-fungible tokens (NFT), but with a philanthropic twist. The secretive society is releasing 77 digital art NFTs under the name CryptoMasons, with profits going back to local charities supported by the chapter.

According to the announcement, it is the first official NFT project supported by a local Grand Lodge. A Masonic Lodge is the governing body of a given fraternal Masonic group in a particular region. Although this project comes from an Argentine branch, there are hundreds around the world.

The collection contains esoteric images related to Masonic history and lore, such as black and white checkered floors and the infamous square and compass symbol. Even the specific number of 77 available NFTs correlates to a number that is significant within occult traditions and spirituality.

Behind this collection are the lodge’s philanthropic intentions, which give part of the funds back to local charities. The website for the collection claims that the organization uses this collection, in part, to “elevate philanthropy to a new and unprecedented scale in the institution’s history.”

Related: The new philanthropic frontier: How Web3 could democratize giving

This is another NFT collection that uses the combination of Web3 technology and tools for philanthropy. Digital assets are being used for things like raising funds for victims of the conflict in Ukraine to micro-donations protecting classical music.

Profits from the sale of CryptoMason NFTs will go to a local orphanage, a youth professional development center and an immigration rights center in Argentina.

This development from Argentina comes as the country continues its crypto adoption. On August 24, the country’s Mendoza province began accepting crypto for taxes and administrative fees. A month before, Binance and Mastercard announced a launch of prepaid crypto cards in Argentina.

According to survey data from Triple-A, around 5.18% of Argentina’s population owns some type of cryptocurrency, which is over 2.4 million people.