Reform UK has received a further £4 million donation from British cryptocurrency billionaire Ben Delo as Nigel Farage’s party builds its war chest ahead of the next general election.
Electoral Commission figures show Delo provided £4 million during the second quarter of 2026, representing about three quarters of the £5.3 million Reform received in donations between April and June. The contribution was made through two payments of £1 million and £3 million in April.
The new payment takes Delo’s total donations to Reform this year to £8 million. He previously gave the party £4 million during the first quarter, making him one of its most important financial backers.
Delo is the co founder of BitMEX, the cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform, and built his fortune in the digital asset industry. His political involvement has attracted particular attention because he was convicted in the United States in 2022 after pleading guilty to violating banking secrecy laws linked to failures in his company’s anti money laundering controls. Donald Trump later pardoned Delo and two other BitMEX co founders.
Delo, who had been living in Hong Kong, announced earlier this year that he was returning to Britain. He has said he wants to become more involved in politics and help Reform grow into an alternative to established parties.
His return is also significant because the government has introduced measures aimed at restricting political donations from British citizens living overseas. Reform believes Delo’s move back to Britain means his contributions will not be caught by the new restrictions.
The figures underline how heavily Reform’s fundraising has become dependent on wealthy individual donors, particularly those connected to the cryptocurrency industry. During the first quarter, Delo and fellow crypto investor Christopher Harborne supplied millions of pounds to the party, helping it raise £9.3 million, more than either Labour or the Conservatives.
Harborne remains Reform’s biggest donor, having given about £15 million to the party. He has also given Farage £5 million personally, a payment that has become the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation. Farage has maintained that the money was a personal gift.
The figures show Reform raised more than Labour and Conservatives in the second quarter. Labour received about £3.6 million in donations, while the Conservatives received about £2.8 million.
The scale of Reform’s fundraising has intensified debate over wealthy donors’ influence on British politics. Critics argue that large private contributions risk giving individuals disproportionate influence, while supporters say wealthy citizens should be free to support political parties within the rules.
With Reform preparing for future electoral battles, Delo’s latest contribution demonstrates that the party continues to have access to substantial financial backing from Britain’s cryptocurrency wealth.
