# British Engineer Seeks $26.5 Million From BitMEX Operator By Riza Dagoc Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/regulation/31629 Published: 2026-10-14T07:30:57.000Z Updated: 2026-10-14T07:30:57.000Z Section: Regulation > Lewis Barber filed a £20 million claim over Bitcoin losses he alleges occurred between 2018 and 2022. A British software engineer has filed a £20 million claim against BitMEX operator HDR Global Trading Limited, alleging he lost large amounts of Bitcoin (BTC) from 2018 to 2022 and seeking its return or compensation of about $26.5 million. Lewis Barber alleges BitMEX offered crypto derivatives to UK investors without authorization from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the country’s financial regulator. He argues the contracts were invalid and is seeking the return of his Bitcoin or equivalent compensation. BitMEX has halted trading as it winds down exchange operations, while users can still access their accounts and withdraw funds, as detailed in [earlier coverage of BitMEX’s trading halt](). ## Links in this article - [earlier coverage of BitMEX’s trading halt](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/23246)