Two Crypto Tycoons Donate Over £72 Million to Reform UK Within 24 Hours

TechFlow reports that on September 13, according to CoinDesk, two cryptocurrency billionaires donated a total of £72 million ($97.4 million) to Reform UK within 24 hours, setting a new record for the largest single fundraising haul in British political party history. The contributions, split at £36 million each, were made by BitMEX co-founder Ben Delo and Bitfinex and Tether investor Christopher Harborne, and were recently deposited into the account of the party led by Nigel Farage.

In a public statement, Harborne clarified that he did not expect a peerage or specific policy favors in return, stating it was "simply to support a party ready to govern." Previously, Farage had repeatedly pledged to support initiatives such as a central bank Bitcoin reserve in an effort to court the cryptocurrency industry. However, the financial influx has also sparked regulatory scrutiny: Scotland Yard is currently investigating Reform UK’s political donations, while Farage is facing a parliamentary standards inquiry after accepting a £3.5 million personal donation from Harborne prior to his election as an MP in 2024. Reform UK and both individuals have denied the allegations.