TLDR
- UK regulator blocks Coinbase ads for trivializing crypto risks and financial hardship
- ASA bans Coinbase campaign over misleading links to cost-of-living pressures
- Coinbase ads face UK ban after watchdog flags irresponsible crypto promotion
- UK watchdog cracks down on Coinbase ads for downplaying investment risks
- Coinbase campaign halted as UK regulators tighten crypto advertising rules
Coinbase faced new scrutiny as the UK Advertising Standards Authority banned its recent campaign for downplaying crypto risks and linking digital assets to cost-of-living pressures. The ruling highlighted major concerns about how the company framed financial hardship and promoted change through crypto use. Moreover, the decision underscored growing regulatory pressure on crypto marketing across the country.
ASA Flags “Irresponsible” Messaging in Coinbase Campaign
The ASA banned a Coinbase video and three posters after concluding the materials presented crypto as an answer to economic struggles. The regulator said the ads used satirical themes that portrayed high-risk products as simple responses to household challenges. The review noted that Coinbase failed to include any risk warnings in the campaign.
The video circulated online even after Clearcast rejected it for TV broadcast due to unsupported claims about economic solutions. The posters appeared across major transit stations and displayed messages referencing rising costs and financial pressures. Each poster featured the campaign line urging change alongside the Coinbase brand.
Regulators said the combination of humour, hardship, and calls for change created a misleading tone. They assessed the messaging as trivialising crypto risks and oversimplifying complex financial concerns. The ASA said Coinbase should have followed FCA r