Winklevoss twins plot British base for crypto empire

“There are so many headwinds right now in the US it’s hard to get anything done there. And so in order to keep building our business and invest in hiring, we have to look elsewhere,” said Cameron Winklevoss.

“And the UK is a great market to consider that. There’s a point in the future where we have a larger headcount outside of the US than in the US, and there’s probably a jurisdiction or country that … maybe is larger than the US. 

“Whether you want to call that a second headquarters or global headquarters, we very much are looking at places like the UK and understanding how do we invest more here.

“We’re not leaving the US, we’re going to continue to fight the good fight there. But we also understand that you can vote with your feet, and that’s our right and we will do that when faced with a hostile environment.”

He described the UK, where Gemini was one of the first cryptocurrency companies to be authorised by the FCA, as a “second home”.

“There’s a tremendous multi-century tradition here. And I think they’ll continue to be leaders based on what we’ve seen and heard about how they’re approaching the space.”

Tyler Winklevoss warned that the company did have reservations about an inconsistent attitude towards cryptocurrency companies in Britain, highlighting a recent report from MPs that compared the sector to gambling. 

“We have expressed concerns regarding inconsistency because we want to continue to double down on this market,” he said.

The twins attended Harvard University at the same time as Mark Zuckerberg, and sued the Facebook founder claiming he had stolen the idea for the social network, winning a $65m payout in 2008.

They set up Gemini in 2015 after an early $11m bet on Bitcoin, which has made the 41-year-old brothers billionaires.

They are also travelling to Ireland, Switzerland, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Hong Kong as they consider places to invest.

In January, America’s Securities and Exchange Commission charged Gemini with selling unregistered securities, one of a series of US crackdowns on cryptocurrency companies. 

The company has called the regulator’s actions “totally counterproductive”.