Marina Lubimova
The donation is one of the largest individual political contributions in modern British politics and significantly increases Reform UK’s resources ahead of the next general election.
Who Is Ben Delo?
Delo is a British billionaire and co-founder of BitMEX, the cryptocurrency derivatives exchange. He co-founded BitMEX in 2014 with Arthur Hayes and Samuel Reed. The platform became one of the world’s largest crypto derivatives exchanges.
In 2022, Delo pleaded guilty in the US to violating the Bank Secrecy Act over BitMEX’s failure to maintain an adequate anti-money-laundering programme. He was sentenced to 30 months of probation. US President Donald Trump pardoned Delo and the other BitMEX founders in 2025.
£36 Million Boost for Reform UK
The £36 million contribution gives Reform UK considerably more financial capacity for campaigning, advertising, staff and constituency operations.
Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has been challenging both Labour and the Conservatives and building its national campaign infrastructure.
Large private donations are particularly important in UK politics because there is no overall cap on how much an eligible individual can donate to a political party. The size of Delo’s contribution also highlights Reform UK’s growing ability to attract wealthy donors from outside Britain’s traditional political establishment.
With £36 million from a single donor, Reform UK now has significantly more money available to expand its campaign ahead of the next UK general election.
Marina Lubimova
