Bunq wants to receive refugees from Ukraine

Bunq wants to receive refugees from Ukraine, Bulgaria and Georgia.

The bank has arranged accommodation for a few hundred people from the countries, says Bunq founder and CEO Ali Niknam.

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People who want to provide shelter or otherwise help refugees may also register.

At the expense of the bank, refugees can also stay in hotels and apartments. The shelter is open to “anyone who does not feel comfortable” with the situation, Niknam says. Both Ukrainians and Russians are welcome. 

However, they must arrange their own transport to the reception locations.

“Now that the war in Ukraine is fully ongoing I feel I can no longer hold my silence. What most might not know is that in my youth I’ve experienced war, first hand. A bloody war between Iraq and Iran emerged, resulting in more than 1 million casualties, and the humanitarian impact of this war can still be felt today. Lost limbs, psychological disorders, consequences of chemical attacks, etc. all still cause continuous suffering amongst many people,” say Niknam in a LinkedIn post.

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“It breaks my heart to think that we might be at the start of similar suffering on a grand scale. And I cannot look the other way,” he added.

Bunq wants to employ the refugees, so that they can come to the Netherlands with a visa for highly skilled migrants. Niknam cannot yet say how many people it would be and how long Bunq will employ them. “The tent is on fire. We have to put out the fire now.”

“If you are affected and all you want to do is live in peace and harmony, please send your details to people@bunq.com and we’ll do everything in our power to get you over to the Netherlands under an HSM visa. If you can provide shelter, harbor people or have any other ideas on how we can help please contact us too.”