Cryptocurrency products and services

Policy details

CHANGE LOG
Cryptocurrency products and services
Ads may not promote cryptocurrency trading platforms, software and related services and products that enable monetisation, reselling, swapping or staking of cryptocurrencies without prior written permission. To apply, please click here. For more information, see our Business Help Centre.
Overview
Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology is a quickly evolving and dynamic industry, highly prone to financial scams and misleading advertising. To reduce risks to consumers, we require advertisers seeking to promote cryptocurrency trading platforms, software or services and products that use blockchain technology to provide evidence that their activities are appropriately licensed.
To advertise across our technologies, advertisers will need to submit a recognised regulatory licence or registration and obtain written permission from Meta through the Authorisations and verifications tab in Meta Business Suite.
Guidelines for ads
Advertisers need written permission to run ads that promote:
  • Cryptocurrency exchanges or trading platforms: Platforms, software apps or products that enable people to exchange cryptocurrency and money. This includes, but is not limited to, spot trading, margin trading, futures trading and other trading instruments that involve cryptocurrency assets.
  • Cryptocurrency borrowing or lending: Platforms, software apps or products that allow people to borrow or lend cryptocurrency.
  • Cryptocurrency wallets that offer additional services: Devices or software that allow people to safely store cryptocurrency and offer additional services, such as:
    • Buying or selling
    • Swapping or exchanging of one cryptocurrency for another
    • Staking or purchasing and holding coins to earn interest
  • Cryptocurrency mining: Hardware or software that enables the mining of cryptocurrency assets
  • Cryptocurrency investment: asking to invest, join or support in order to solicit customers for exchanges, trading platforms or other fintech platforms. This includes affiliate and aggregator sites (marketing sites that aggregates links to partners offering investment opportunities, including crypto)
Advertisers don't need written permission to run ads that promote:
  • Tax services for cryptocurrency companies
  • Events, education or news related to cryptocurrency or blockchain technology, as long they don't offer cryptocurrency products or services
  • Blockchain technology news
  • Services and products based on blockchain technology that are not a virtual currency, such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
  • Cryptocurrency wallets that allow people to store cryptocurrency, but don't offer additional services, such as buying, selling, swapping or staking cryptocurrency assets
  • Cryptocurrency products and services that cannot be used for the purposes of buying, selling or trading
When advertisers request permission, they'll also need to prove that they have one of the following licences or registrations:
  • Australia:
    • AUSTRAC registration, issuer: Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC)
    • Australian Financial Services Licence/Australian markets licence, issuer: Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
  • Austria: Registration as a provider of virtual currencies under the Austrian Financial Markets Anti-Money Laundering Act, issuer: Financial Market Authority (FMA)
  • Canada: Registration as a money service business, issuer: The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)
  • Estonia: Virtual currency service authorisation, issuer: Financial intelligence unit
  • Finland: Registration in the register of virtual currency providers, issuer: Financial Supervisory Authority (Fin-FSA)
  • France: Digital asset service provider registration or licence, issuer: Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF)
  • Germany: BaFin authorisation, issuer: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
  • Gibraltar: Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) provider registration, issuer: Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC)
  • Hong Kong: Licence from, or registration with, the SFC for Type 1, 7 and 9 regulated activities, issuer: Securities and Futures Commission (SFC)
  • Indonesia: Indonesia Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory (BAPPEBTI) approval, issuer: Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency (BAPPEBTI)
  • Japan: Crypto-asset exchange service provider registration, issuer: Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA)
  • Luxembourg: Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration, issuer: Comission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF)
  • Malaysia: Recognised market operators (RMOs) status, issuer: The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC)
  • Malta: MFSA licence in terms of the Virtual Financial Assets Act (CAP 590), Issuer: The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA)
  • Netherlands: Dutch Central Bank (DCB) registration, issuer: Dutch Central Bank (DCB)
  • Norway: Registration with the Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet), issuer: Finanstilsynet
  • Philippines: Certificate of Authority (COA) to operate as a virtual asset service provider (VASP), issuer: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)
  • Portugal: Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration, issuer: Banco de Portugal
  • Singapore: Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) licence under the Payment Services Act for digital payment token (DPT) service, issuer: Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
  • South Korea: Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) report (which can only be obtained upon obtention of ISMS certification), issuer: Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU)/Financial Services Commission (FSC)
  • Spain: Registration as a provider engaged in exchange services between virtual currencies and fiat currencies and custodian wallet providers, issuer: Banco de Espana (Bank of Spain)
  • Sweden: Registration with the Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA), issuer: Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA)
  • Switzerland: Fintech licence registration, issuer: Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA)
  • Thailand: Digital Asset Business licence, issuer: The Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
  • United Arab Emirates:
    • Licence to engage in arranging, advising, dealing, managing or other relevant financial services and/or operate an exchange and/or provide money services – each in relation to crypto assets, Issuer: Abu Dhabi Global Market, Financial Services Regulatory Authority
    • Licence to operate a stored value facility (that includes virtual assets), issuer: United Arab Emirates onshore, Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates
    • Licence to engage in investment business/operating an exchange – specific to investment tokens, issuer: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai Financial Services Authority
    • Full Market Product (FMP) licence registration to run virtual asset exchange services, issuer: Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority
  • United Kingdom: Financial Conduct Authority authorisation, issuer: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
  • USA:
    • FinCEN MSB registration, issuer: Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
    • BitLicense, issuer: Department of Financial Services, New York state (NYSDFS)
For more information, visit the Business Help Centre.
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