Nigel Farage | Crypto

Labour lawmakers proposed a full moratorium on crypto donations in March, which some have sought be made permanent after millions of dollars in contributions were linked to Reform leader Nigel Farage. Members of the UK’s ruling Labour party are considering a total ban on digital asset donations in response to Nigel Farage's resignation from Parliament and the potential influence crypto billionaires had on his policies. The Guardian reported Thursday that Labour MPs are looking to overhaul existing rules on donations to political parties and candidates. Specifically, lawmakers have proposed that a moratorium on crypto donations enacted in March be made permanent after it was revealed that the Reform leader personally accepted millions of British pounds in what he called “gifts” from industry figures. “Amendments to the representation of the people bill which my colleagues and I have tabled are vital safeguards against the wider threat that’s seen [$268 million] come flooding in to build a whole media political...

The Reform party leader and Brexit champion confirmed that he was the subject of probes by UK authorities following reports of what he called “gifts” from figures tied to cry pto ventures. Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK’s Reform party, announced that he would resign as a member of Parliament and stand in the by-election that could replace him. On Tuesday, Farage announced that he would resign as MP representing Clacton in response to what he called “foul means” by established politicians. The UK lawmaker’s resignation followed reports that he had personally received millions of dollars’ worth of donations and gifts from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster linked to a crypto casino. “Let me be absolutely clear: I have done nothing wrong,” said Farage in an X livestream. “I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money.”  Read more

Before he was an MP, Nigel Farage was reportedly gifted staff, security and other benefits from George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster involved in a crypto casino. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reportedly accepted gifts that he did not publicly disclose from a crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud in the US, according to The Sunday Times.  The news outlet reported on Saturday that Farage was gifted staff, security, transport and accommodation by George Cottrell, an aristocrat involved in an offshore crypto casino who has been a close adviser to Farage for more than 10 years. Farage said in a statement on Sunday that he “followed the rules” over the gifts from Cottrell, which he received before he was elected a member of parliament in July 2024, and called The Times’ report a “hit job.” Read more

Tether-linked billionaire Christopher Harborne and BitMEX co-founder Ben Delo donated $9.4 million to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the first quarter. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK received 7 million British pounds ($9.4 million) from two crypto billionaires this year, with total funds raised outstripping all other political parties. The party received a $4 million donation from Christopher Harborne, who has a stake in the stablecoin issuer Tether, and a $5.4 million donation from Ben Delo, the co-founder of the crypto exchange BitMEX, according to Electoral Commission data released on Thursday. The Labour and Conservative parties each received around $5.4 million in the first quarter of the year.  Read more

The news follows growing calls from UK lawmakers and government officials to curb or temporarily ban crypto political donations in the country. United Kingdom politician Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform Party, purchased a property valued at 1.4 British pounds ($1.8 million) after receiving a 5 million pound ($6.7 million) “personal gift” from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.  The real estate deal closed in May 2024, several weeks before Farage announced that he was running for office in the general elections, according to Sky News. Farage is now facing a UK parliamentary probe over the 5 million pound gift, which critics of the politician say should have been declared and registered after he took office. Read more

Nigel Farage has acquired a 6.31% stake in the London-listed Bitcoin treasury company Stack BTC amid broader scrutiny over crypto donations in UK politics. Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage has invested 215,000 pounds (around $286,000) in Stack BTC, a London-listed Bitcoin treasury company chaired by former UK Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, as the Reform UK leader deepens his ties to the crypto sector.  The investment gives Farage a 6.31% stake in the company through his media vehicle Thorn In The Side, according to a Monday release. Stack said it raised $346,000 by issuing 5.2 million new shares at $0.065 each in a strategic funding round that included Farage and Blockchain.com. The company said Blockchain.com also entered a partnership to help deliver institutional-grade services for Stack’s planned Bitcoin (BTC) treasury. Read more

The party leader leaned into pro-crypto talking points at the Bitcoin 2025 conference, announcing plans to introduce a digital asset bill if Reform UK wins in the next election. The leader of the Reform UK political party, Nigel Farage, announced that the group is accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency contributions from eligible donors. Speaking at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas on May 29, Farage said the party had begun accepting crypto donations. A blog post from crypto payments provider Radom said Reform would use the platform to facilitate donations, making it the first major group to do so amid the Conservative and Labour parties, who hold most of the seats in the UK’s House of Commons.  “[A]s of now, we are the first political party in Britain who can accept donations in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies,” said Farage. “We’re way behind you in America, but as of now, people with Bitcoin can give us money provided they’re eligible.” Read more

Nigel Farage has detailed a Reform UK bill that would cut crypto capital gains tax to 10%, launch a two-year regulatory sandbox and outlaw discrimination against digital-asset payments. He plans to present the proposal at Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas, pitching Britain as a future crypto powerhouse. The post Nigel Farage to Pitch UK as ‘Crypto Powerhouse’ at Bitcoin 2025 appeared first on Cryptonews.