Key Takeaways
- ZachXBT identified George Cottrell, an aide to Nigel Farage, as the trader behind high-profile Polymarket bets involving Donald Trump.
- Cottrell, a Reform U.K. insider, has reportedly remained close to Farage despite past legal troubles.
- The revelation comes as Polymarket prepares a regulated U.S. return.
A British political adviser linked to Nigel Farage has been identified as the trader behind high-profile Polymarket bets involving Donald Trump, with his most recent bet focusing on the length of the President’s handshake with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT said on X that the wallet address, also behind a $13 million win on Trump’s 2024 U.S. election, belongs to George Cottrell, an aide to Farage who was previously convicted of wire fraud in the U.S.
The Latest Bet
Screenshots shared by the X account @CarOnPolymarket show that the wallet placed a smaller, though still significant, bet on a new Polymarket contract titled: “Will Trump and Xi shake hands for between 6 and 10 seconds on October 30, 2025?”
The order book shows bids totaling over 200,000 shares priced between 40¢ and 43¢, representing a wager of roughly $80,000 to $86,000 that the handshake would last between six and ten seconds.
“This mega whale won $13 million on Trump winning the election and has now returned after 12 months of inactivity,” the account states.
“He’s now trying to buy 200,000 shares on whether Trump’s and Xi Jinping’s handshake lasts 6–10 seconds,” CarOnPolymarket added. “You can’t make it up.”
Crypto sleuth ZachXBT said the “wallet address belongs to George Cottrell with high confidence.”
“He’s been an adviser to Nigel Farage, is known for high-stakes gambling, and was found guilty of wire fraud,” he added.
During the lead-up to Trump’s election win, the wallet named “GCottrell93” reportedly bought $9 million of Trump Polymarket shares and won $13 million.
This makes him one of the several crypto whales who won big on the President’s win.
The bet ultimately lost on Thursday morning, with Trump and Xi’s handshake lasting less than six seconds.
Who Is George Cottrell?
Cottrell is a British businessman whose connections to Farage and personal history have drawn significant public scrutiny.
The 30-year-old has been a visible presence on Farage’s Reform U.K. campaign trail, seen traveling with the party leader between events and attending press conferences.
Reform U.K. has described Cottrell as an unpaid volunteer, but The Guardian reported that those following the campaign in Clacton, Essex, described him as integral to Farage’s operation and frequently close to the leader and his security team.
Cottrell, who was privately educated at Malvern College, comes from an aristocratic family with his uncle Lord Hesketh serving as a treasurer of UKIP.
He first worked with Farage during the 2016 Brexit campaign and was present when the U.K. voted to leave the European Union.
Later that year, he was arrested in the U.S. on money-laundering charges and spent eight months in jail after pleading guilty to a single count of wire fraud; 20 other counts were dropped under a plea deal.
Despite this, Cottrell has remained close to Farage, with The Guardian quoting Cottrell’s former partner, Andjela Vukadinovic, as saying the two men are “very close” and that Farage is “number one for him.”
Trump–Xi Meeting in South Korea
On Thursday, Oct. 30, U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in Busan, South Korea, their first meeting since Trump’s return to the White House.
Trump described the talks as “amazing,” saying the two sides reached a breakthrough over rare earth minerals and agreed to a 10% cut in tariffs on fentanyl-related goods.
“All of the rare earth has been settled,” Trump said.
“And that’s for the world—worldwide, you could say this was a worldwide situation, not just a U.S. situation. There is no roadblock at all on rare earth. That will hopefully disappear from our vocabulary for a little while,” he added.
After an hour and 40 minutes of discussions, the two leaders shook hands before Trump departed for Washington.
Farage Embraces Crypto
Farage has increasingly positioned himself as a vocal supporter of crypto, following in the footsteps of Trump.
Speaking at the Zebu Live fintech conference in London last week pledged to oppose any move toward a U.K. central bank digital currency (CBDC).
Farage warned that a state-backed digital pound would allow government overreach into citizens’ financial lives.
He argued that a CBDC would be inseparable from a broader system of “digital personal ID,” which he said could lead to “complete control” of how individuals spend and save.
Reflecting on his own experience being “debanked” two years ago, Farage said that episode strengthened his belief in crypto as a safeguard against political control.
“When I was debanked, I realised this is the ultimate freedom, being in control securely of your own money, making your own decisions, free from authoritarian government,” he said.
Polymarket’s Return
The development comes as Polymarket is reportedly preparing to return to the U.S. in the coming weeks with a key focus on sports betting, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.
The firm secured approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission through the acquisition of a licensed derivatives exchange.
In August, Donald Trump Jr. took an advisory role on Polymarket’s board as the company prepared for its U.S. relaunch.
Meanwhile, Trump’s social media platform Truth Social is launching a crypto-based prediction market service as direct competition to Polymarket.
Launching as Truth Predict, the new platform will allow users to place crypto bets on the outcomes of various events, similar to Polymarket.
Top Trending Crypto Articles
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
