New figures reveal Reform UK accepted £4million from crypto billionaire Ben Delo, who was pardoned by Donald Trump after being convicted of failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls
Donald Trump with Nigel Farage in 2024
Reform UK has received another £4million from a crypto billionaire who was pardoned by Donald Trump, according to new figures.
Mega-donor Ben Delo handed over the massive sum to Nigel Farage’s party in the second quarter of the year, which came on top of a separate £4m he gave to the party in January.
It makes him the second largest donor to Reform after Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, who has gifted £15m to the party since the last election.
Mr Harborne also separately gave £5m to Nigel Farage, who is embroiled in a Commons standards probe after failing to declare the money which he insists is a personal gift.
Mr Delo said he was moving back to the UK from Hong Kong earlier this year so he could continue to fund Reform after Keir Starmer’s Government slapped a £100,000 cap on donations from Brits living abroad.
He told The Telegraph in April that he wanted to fund Mr Farage’s war chest ahead of the next election “to save Britain before decline becomes irreversible”.
Mr Delo was convicted in the US in 2022 for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls for his cryptocurrency business BitMEX but he was pardoned by the US President in 2025.
He said he had “accepted a plea bargain and a civil fine for a regulatory failing that isn’t even a crime in the UK”. Reform UK has previously put forward pro-crypto policies including a plan to slash capital gains tax on cryptocurrency assets from 24% to 10%.
The measure was proposed in the draft Cryptoassets and Digital Finance Bill, which Mr Farage said he would pass if he becomes Prime Minister.
“We are delighted to be supported by successful British entrepreneurs as we continue to build for the next general election,” Reform told Reuters in a statement.
Reform received the highest amount of donations from April to June, taking in £5.3m in total. Labour received £3.6 million, while the Conservatives raised £2.8 million.
