Crypto Billionaire Ben Delo Donates £36m to Reform UK

Ben Delo is a British entrepreneur and philanthropist who has made headlines with his £36m donation to Reform UK, positioning himself for a significant impact on the next general election.

Delo was born in Sheffield in 1984 to a civil engineer father and schoolteacher mother. He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at age 11 and went on to study mathematics and computer science at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating with a double first in 2005.

Delo's career has been marked by innovation and entrepreneurship. He co-founded BitMex, an online derivatives platform that handled over one trillion dollars in trading volume annually at its peak. However, he was convicted in the US for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls at BitMex and received a $10m fine.

Despite this setback, Delo remains committed to philanthropy, having pledged to give away most of his wealth through The Giving Pledge. His focus has expanded from causes related to academic freedom and neurodiversity to national renewal in the UK, where he believes 'Britain is a great nation that has been badly let down by its governing classes over recent decades'.