Crypto Donations Under Spotlight in the UK

TheNewsCryptoPublished on 2026-03-18Last updated on 2026-03-18

Abstract

Crypto donations are under scrutiny in the UK, with a cross-party committee proposing a ban to protect the integrity of the political system. Reform UK is the only party reported to have received such donations. The proposed measures include requiring donors to have UK assets registered for 12 months and creating a police unit to oversee political finance. Committee Chair Matt Western warned that foreign financial influence is "corrosive." A temporary ban could particularly impact Reform UK, which has faced criticism for not sharing crypto wallet addresses, hindering transparency. The situation highlights concerns about unregulated currencies in political funding.

Donations in crypto are under the scanner in the UK. Reform UK is the only political party to reportedly receive crypto donations. The implications of the ongoing situation could be severe for the said political party. A ban has been proposed to strengthen the trust factor in the nation’s politics.

Notably, some reports have underlined that what MPs have sought is a temporary ban at the moment.

Crypto Donations in UK Politics

A cross-party committee has noted that banning crypto donations is imperative to keep UK politics safe. The government, according to a report, has sought an immediate ban on donations that are made through digital tokens. Some of the recommendations made in this regard are several amendments to the Representation of the People Bill.

Also, the report has proposed a guideline, wherein it has recommended that donors must have sufficient UK assets registered with HMRC for 12 months before donating. The report further seeks the creation of a national police unit that will be tasked with overseeing political finance.

Crypto donations in UK politics have been under the scanner mainly because they pose an unnecessary and unacceptable high risk to its financial system. There is also a warning that crypto donations could lead to an external financial influence.

Committee Chair Speaks

Matt Western, the Chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, has called the possibility of politicians being bought through external or foreign money corrosive. Further addressing it as a strategic challenge, Matt has underlined that it could impact the long-term integrity of the nation’s political system.

He has acknowledged that failure to act would be detrimental, as the UK could get into real trouble.

Notably, the Reform UK party was earlier reported to race ahead in terms of donations through cryptocurrencies. Christopher Harborne last donated approximately £3 million to the political party.

Issues for Reform UK

Needless to say, even a temporary ban on crypto donations to political parties could be a jolt to Nigel Farage. Adding to the worry is a report that highlights crypto wallet addresses not shared by Reform UK. This has limited the ability of relevant authorities to monitor the source of donations.

The election body frequently asks for information to make sure that all the political parties are operating well within the legal limits. Anti-corruption groups and many Labour MPs are now proposing transparency, or a temporary ban on the receipt of unregulated currencies.

Highlighted Crypto News Today:

Juliana Stratton Defeats Crypto-Backed Krishnamoorthi in Illinois Senate Primary

Platform Token Surges 15-Fold in Half a Month, Pons Tops Both Token Issuance and Trading on Robinhood Chain

The article details the rapid rise of Pons as the leading token launch and trading platform on Robinhood Chain. Following NOXA's halt of new token issuance, several platforms vied for the resulting traffic. By mid-July, Pons surged ahead, achieving the highest daily token creation volume (over 15,000 tokens on July 15th) and soon after capturing the largest daily trading volume ($40.7M on July 18th), consistently maintaining both top positions. Pons's key advantage is its streamlined, single-transaction process that deploys a token's contract and its Uniswap V3 liquidity pool simultaneously, eliminating the need for bonding curves or subsequent DEX migrations. This simplicity caters to the demand for fast, low-cost launches on Robinhood Chain. The platform's native token, PONS, played a pivotal role in its growth, experiencing a price surge of over 15x from mid-July. A tokenomics model that uses 80% of protocol fees to buy back and burn PONS has contributed to its value and heightened platform visibility. Looking ahead, Pons V2 aims to expand beyond meme tokens by integrating support for paying transaction fees with assets like USDG or RWA tokens, aligning with Robinhood Chain's focus on on-chain finance and real-world assets.

marsbit30m ago

Platform Token Surges 15-Fold in Half a Month, Pons Tops Both Token Issuance and Trading on Robinhood Chain

marsbit30m ago

Apple's Q3 Results Largely Meet Expectations, Supply and Memory Pressure Drive After-Hours Drop of 6%

Apple's Q3 (FY2026) earnings largely met expectations, but weak guidance and rising costs drove the stock down 6.3% after hours. Revenue of $109.42B slightly beat estimates, and EPS of $2.02 was boosted by a $0.11 tariff refund. Core EPS was $1.91, aligning with forecasts. iPhone and Mac sales were strong, but iPad and Services revenue fell short. Greater China growth slowed. The outlook for the next quarter is concerning. Apple guided for 9-11% revenue growth, below the ~12% consensus, citing significant supply constraints for iPhones, Macs, and iPads due to advanced chip shortages. Gross margin guidance of 47-48% includes a 1-point tariff benefit, implying a core margin of 46-47%, down from 48.1% this quarter. Management highlighted rising memory costs as a major pressure point. While Apple's AI initiatives like Siri are progressing, monetization remains early. With the stock near all-time highs, the combination of in-line results, segment weaknesses, and a cautious outlook triggered significant profit-taking. The focus has shifted from resilient demand to supply chain execution and cost management.

marsbit35m ago

Apple's Q3 Results Largely Meet Expectations, Supply and Memory Pressure Drive After-Hours Drop of 6%

marsbit35m ago

Platform Token Soars 15x in Half a Month, Pons Tops Robinhood Chain Charts for Both Token Launches and Trading

In just half a month, the Pons platform token (PONS) surged over 15x in value as Pons solidified its position as the leading token launch and trading platform on Robinhood Chain, capturing both the highest daily token creation volume and transaction volume. Following the exit of previous leader NOXA, competition initially favored Flap before Pons emerged dominant around mid-July. By July 26th, Pons accounted for 77.1% of total trading volume across all Robinhood Chain launchpads. Pons's success is attributed to its streamlined, one-transaction process for deploying a token contract and its corresponding Uniswap V3 liquidity pool simultaneously, eliminating the need for bonding curves or complex migrations. This simplicity, combined with low creation costs and immediate tradability, attracted significant creation activity and speculative trading. The meteoric rise of its native token, PONS, further fueled platform growth. A tokenomics model directing 80% of protocol fees to buy back and burn PONS created a reinforcing cycle: platform usage boosted PONS value, which in turn attracted more users. Looking ahead, Pons V2 aims to expand beyond meme tokens by integrating support for paying fees in stablecoins (USDG) and RWA assets, aligning with Robinhood Chain's broader focus on on-chain finance and stock tokens.

Odaily星球日报35m ago

Platform Token Soars 15x in Half a Month, Pons Tops Robinhood Chain Charts for Both Token Launches and Trading

Odaily星球日报35m ago

Qualcomm Chip Price Hike Deals a Blow to Android Phones

Qualcomm has officially announced a new round of price increases for its entire chip portfolio, effective September 1. The hikes, reaching up to 18% for the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, follow similar moves by MediaTek, intensifying cost pressures on the already strained smartphone industry. CEO Cristiano Amon confirmed the plan, citing the need to offset rising industry-wide costs and restore declining profit margins. Qualcomm's Q3 FY2026 results showed a 25% drop in net profit, with mobile revenue plunging 20% year-over-year, hitting its lowest level since 2021. The surge in AI computing demand has led memory manufacturers to prioritize HBM production, creating a shortage in general-purpose DRAM and NAND Flash chips. Their prices soared by 93%-98% and 55%-60% respectively in Q1 2026, causing the memory cost share in smartphones to jump from 10%-15% to over 30%. Coupled with the soaring cost of advanced nodes like TSMC's 2nm and packaging, overall chip costs have reached historic highs. These upstream pressures are forcing downstream smartphone brands like Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo to cut orders for mid-to-low-end models by up to 20% and use cost-saving measures like older chipsets. Reportedly, the Snapdragon 8E5 will be repurposed as a "long-lasting" chip for sub-brand phones in H2 2026. Amid this cost crisis, the Android market remains sluggish. Q2 2026 smartphone shipments in China fell 4.3% year-over-year, marking five consecutive quarters of decline. Major Android brands saw market share drop, while Huawei and Apple, with their in-house chip advantages, gained share. Qualcomm is diversifying into automotive and IoT sectors to reduce reliance on smartphones, but these new segments cannot yet fill the mobile revenue gap. Industry observers warn that the full impact of component cost hikes will hit in the second half of 2026, likely leading to higher-than-expected price increases for Android flagships and a further contraction in the Chinese smartphone market.

marsbit46m ago

Qualcomm Chip Price Hike Deals a Blow to Android Phones

marsbit46m ago

Breaking: GPT-5.6 Prices Slashed Effective Today

OpenAI has announced significant price cuts for its GPT-5.6 model API, effective immediately. The entry-level **GPT-5.6 Luna** sees the most drastic reduction, with input prices dropping 80% to $0.20 per million tokens and output prices falling to $1.20 per million tokens. The mid-tier **GPT-5.6 Terra** is reduced by 20%, now costing $2.00 (input) and $12.00 (output) per million tokens. The flagship **GPT-5.6 Sol** maintains its original price but introduces a new **Fast mode**, offering speeds up to 2.5 times faster for double the cost. The company attributes these price reductions to efficiency gains achieved through **GPT-5.6 Sol's own involvement in optimizing its production systems**. The model assisted in rewriting GPU kernels and improving speculative decoding, leading to a 20% reduction in end-to-end service costs and over 15% improvement in token generation efficiency. OpenAI emphasizes this process remained human-led. A key focus of the降价 is to lower the barrier for running **AI agent workflows**. By making the capable, tool-calling Luna model significantly cheaper, OpenAI aims to enable more frequent use in cost-sensitive, high-volume tasks like code review and monitoring. This creates a potential feedback loop: model-assisted efficiency gains lead to lower costs, which enables broader agent deployment, which in turn drives further optimization. The new pricing and features will also apply to Codex and ChatGPT Work subscriptions. The changes intensify competition in the large language model market, with OpenAI directly challenging rivals like Anthropic to respond.

marsbit1h ago

Breaking: GPT-5.6 Prices Slashed Effective Today