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09/13/2026

Crypto Billionaires Donate $97M to Reform UK, Setting Political Record

What happened: Ben Delo, BitMEX co-founder, and Christopher Harborne, a Tether/Bitfinex stakeholder, each donated £36 million (about $48.

Crypto Billionaires Donate $97M to Reform UK, Setting Political Record

What happened: Ben Delo, BitMEX co-founder, and Christopher Harborne, a Tether/Bitfinex stakeholder, each donated £36 million (about $48.5 million) to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party over a 24-hour period. The combined £72 million ($97 million) donation is the largest in UK political history, surpassing the total donations raised by all UK parties in the previous year. Delo structured his gift as an upfront payment equivalent to £1 million per month through the next election deadline, while Harborne matched the amount the following day. Both donations were announced via Daily Telegraph op-eds.

Why it matters: The scale and concentration of these donations have sparked debate over the influence of crypto wealth in UK politics. Reform UK is now reportedly on an "election footing," planning to hire 400 campaign managers. Labour MPs are considering making a moratorium on crypto donations permanent, reflecting growing scrutiny of digital asset influence in political funding. Delo’s prior legal issues—he was pardoned by Trump in 2025 after a guilty plea to Bank Secrecy Act violations—add further complexity to the story.

Source: Decrypt, CoinDesk, Cointelegraph