LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) - Nigel Farage, leader of the populist Reform UK party, has invested in Stack BTC (STAK.ASE), opens new tab, a London-based company aimed at acquiring small British companies and investing surplus capital into bitcoin, a statement said on Monday. 
Farage, a public supporter of bitcoin who has secured big donations from crypto investors, has said he expects digital currencies to play a big part in financial markets in the futureStack BTC said Farage, whose party has led British opinion polls since early last year, had taken part in a 260,000 pound ($346,814) equity fundraising alongside industry player Blockchain.com, meaning he would own a 6% stake in the company.
Stack BTC's executive chairman is Kwasi Kwarteng, who as finance minister in 2022 delivered the mini budget of then Prime Minister Liz Truss which sparked a market meltdownStack BTC is one of a growing number of digital asset treasury companies (DATs) which are listed companies set up to buy and hold cryptocurrency on their balance sheets, hoping that a rise in the price of crypto will boost their share price.
The number of companies taking this approach in the U.S. boomed last year, encouraged by U.S. President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance.
Farage, a friend of Trump's, said of his investment that he wanted London to become a major global hub for the crypto industry..Reform UK only holds eight of the 650 seats in Britain's parliament, but has set its sights on major gains in a round of local elections in May, including votes for the devolved parliaments of Scotland and Wales.