The crypto billionaires behind Reform’s eye-watering £72 million donations

Reform UK has received £72m as two cryptocurrency billionaires have backed Nigel Farage ’s party with major donations just days apart.

Thai-based businessman Christopher Harborne, the party’s biggest donor to date , matched a record £36m donation just two days after fellow crypto tycoon Ben Delo.

Mr Harborne confirmed his gift and said while he expected media speculation regarding his latest donation, which comes months after he donated £15m to the party and a separate £5m to Mr Farage, he wanted nothing in return.

He added: “There will be a lot of media speculation regarding this donation. So what do I expect in return for my donations ? Nothing. No peerage, no policy change, just a party that is ready for government.”

Reacting to the donation in an official statement, Mr Farage said he was honoured and humbled that Mr Harborne and Mr Delo had “shown such confidence in Reform”.

In previous years, Mr Harborne – a British businessman with a long affiliation to right-wing politics and Brexit – has made substantial donations to both the Tories and the Brexit Party, and even accompanied Boris Johnson on a trip to Ukraine when he was prime minister.

Mr Delo, who has already given £8m to Reform UK, previously announced he was moving back to Britain to help "build a war chest" for Reform to fight the next election.

Mr Delo is the co-founder of BitMEX, a cryptocurrency exchange and trading platform due to shut down on 23 September.

Born in Sheffield, he was educated at the comprehensive Lord Williams's School and graduated with a double first-class honours degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Oxford in 2005.

As well as his work in cryptocurrency, the 43-year-old considers himself a philanthropist after he signed the Giving Pledge in 2019, promising to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime.

Since stepping down from BitMEX, he has dedicated himself to causes “related to free enquiry and academic freedom, mathematics education and research, neurodiversity and young people with autism, and fostering collaboration across the Commonwealth” according to his foundation.

Mr Delo moved to Hong Kong in 2012 to work for JP Morgan, where he first started experimenting with Bitcoin.

Between 2014 and 2019, he built BitMEX, which became a leading online derivatives platform that at its peak handled more than one trillion dollars in trading volume annually.

In 2018, The Times reported he was the UK's youngest self-made billionaire.