According to @wallisi, the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Financial Promotions regime is causing UK users to be blocked from many crypto rewards programs, airdrops and other initiatives. According to the FCA, from 8 October 2023 any cryptoasset promotion to UK consumers must be communicated or approved by an authorized firm, include fair, clear and not misleading disclosures, and apply a 24-hour cooling-off period for first-time investors alongside an appropriateness assessment for retail clients. According to the FCA, monetary and non-monetary incentives in crypto promotions (for example, refer-a-friend and new-customer bonuses) are banned, and breaches of the regime are a criminal offense. According to the FCA, firms and platforms are required to remove illegal promotions on websites, apps and social media, which means access to incentivized campaigns for UK users is contingent on FCA-compliant promotion routes. According to the FCA’s rules, traders and token issuers should expect UK participation in rewards or airdrops that function as promotional incentives to be restricted, affecting eligibility criteria, campaign design, and launch timelines for token distributions targeting UK retail.

According to the source, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Britain needs better crypto regulation and suggested he is positioned to lead such reform, source: Nigel Farage public remarks referenced in a social media post dated Oct 13, 2025. This statement lands while the FCA already enforces a cryptoasset financial promotions regime and requires anti-money laundering registration for UK crypto firms, source: UK Financial Conduct Authority, cryptoasset financial promotions rules effective Oct 8, 2023 and FCA registration under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. HM Treasury has also consulted on bringing a broader set of cryptoasset activities into the UK regulatory perimeter, signaling an active policy pipeline relevant to market structure and exchange operations, source: HM Treasury, Future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets consultation published Feb 2023.