Founder Profile
Ben Delo
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Ben Delo?
Ben Delo is a founder of BitMEX, which was founded in 2014 with Arthur Hayes and Samuel Reed.
- Company founded
- BitMEX
- Founded
- 2014
- Co-founders
- Arthur Hayes and Samuel Reed
Background
Studied mathematics and computer science at Worcester College, Oxford, then wrote software at IBM and J.P. Morgan and high-frequency trading systems at GSA Capital.
Founding Story
Ben Delo co-founded BitMEX in 2014 and worked on its trading engine and contract design. Reported as the UK's first Bitcoin billionaire in 2018, he signed the Giving Pledge in 2019. He pleaded guilty in February 2022 to a Bank Secrecy Act violation, received 30 months of probation and was pardoned in March 2025. In September 2026 he donated a record ~$47.5 million (£36 million) to Reform UK.
Ben Delo was born in 1984 in Sheffield. Education: Lord Williams's School.