Ben Delo
entrepreneur, mathematician and philanthropist

Ben graduated from the University of Oxford in 2005 with a double first-class honours degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. He started his career at IBM, GSA Capital and JP Morgan before co-founding BitMEX, a cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform, in 2014. Here, he invented the perpetual swap, later described as ‘possibly the most successful derivatives product in the history of capitalism’.

Throughout his life and career, Ben has been motivated by the pursuit of truth. Whether as a school pupil with autism, a mathematician at Oxford or a tech entrepreneur in Hong Kong developing innovative financial instruments, Ben has always been propelled by his commitment to rationalism, intellectual honesty and frank, open debate. Following the extraordinary success of BitMEX, he started to give his money away guided by these rationalist principles.

His initial focus was on causes related to free enquiry and academic freedom, mathematics education and research, neurodiversity and young people with autism, and fostering collaboration across the Commonwealth. Having moved back to his home in the UK he broadened his giving to support initiatives relating to national renewal. Ben believes Britain is a great nation that has been badly let down by its governing classes and is concerned that without radical action, it may fall into a doom loop of economic stagnation, social fracture and self-doubt. Therefore, Ben supports organisations and causes that champion a renewal in governance and civic life, challenge orthodoxy, and promote the discussion of new ideas with the overall objective of setting us on a path for a prosperous future.

RELATED SESSIONS

Saturday 17 October,  09:45 Assembly Hall, Church House
Battle of Ideas festival 2026 Welcome Address