Cryptocurrency exchange Binance will no longer accept new clients based in the United Kingdom as local regulators continue to tighten regulatory guardrails there.
In an Oct. 16 blog post, the exchange reiterates that it wishes to comply with the U.K.’s new financial promotions regime imposed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Since Binance is not regulated in the jurisdiction, it won’t be able to onboard new users until it finds an FCA-authorized partner.
Binance said its existing U.K. clients will continue to have access to the platform’s services, provided they have completed the necessary investor tests. However, new products and services would not be made available to them during the interim period.
The move came after the FCA barred Binance’s U.K. marketing partner, Rebuildingsociety.com (REBS), from approving financial promotions related to crypto assets on Oct. 10.
The regulator advised the peer-to-peer lending company to retract any existing approvals of financial promotions related to crypto assets and inform its partners, including Binance, that such marketing content cannot be approved.
The FCA enforced its new crypto marketing rules on Oct. 8, requiring crypto companies to “market to U.K. consumers clearly, fairly, and honestly.” Under the new regime, firms are required to provide risk warnings of investing in assets such as cryptocurrency and implement a cooling-off period for new users. The ruling also bans marketing strategies such as referral bonuses and gift cards.
The ruling, at the time, allowed FCA-registered entities to market for non-FCA-registered overseas firms.
Binance’s partnership with REBS would have allowed the exchange to promote its products and services in the U.K. as it seeks to comply with regulatory requirements.