The UK crypto industry has taken a political turn, establishing closer ties with the Reform Party

At the end of July, senior executives from the world's largest digital asset companies gathered in the City of London to hear Zia Yusuf, head of policy for the far-right Reform Party, lay out his vision for the role of cryptocurrencies in the UK financial sector. The former Goldman Sachs executive met with representatives of companies including US trading platforms Coinbase and Kraken at the offices of North Point Strategy, a lobby group, according to people familiar with the matter. At the meeting, Yusuf lashed out at regulators for hindering industry growth and promised that the cryptocurrency industry would thrive under a government led by the Reform Party, according to two people present. The meeting marked a turning point in the cryptocurrency industry's efforts to forge closer ties with the UK Reform Party. The move follows a year in which the industry successfully pushed cryptocurrency supporter Donald Trump into the presidency of the United States. The move comes against a backdrop of industry frustration with the slow progress of the current ruling Labor government on cryptocurrency regulation, even though senior Labor officials have announced measures to boost the industry. (Jin Ten)