UK Banking Restrictions
There are no specific restrictions on purchasing cryptocurrencies in the UK, however an increasing number of UK banks have chosen to restrict or ban their customers from sending money to crypto exchanges. Learn how this might affect you, and what you can do to help us make the cryptoeconomy free and accessible for everybody in the UK.
Over the past 12 months, we’ve witnessed a concerning trend of UK banks using the risk of fraud as justification for imposing restrictions and bans on their customers trying to use crypto exchanges like Coinbase. Some have restricted the use of credit cards for purchasing cryptocurrencies, some block users from making deposits to exchanges altogether, and others might still allow purchases but only under very strict limits.
UK Banks are trying to restrict access to the cryptoeconomy
Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen a rise in the number of UK banks using the risk of fraud as justification for imposing sweeping restrictions on their customers using crypto exchanges.
Our top priority is keeping our users and their funds safe and secure. We have built world-leading security systems and invested substantially in tools which our teams use to monitor and prevent malicious activity and protect our users.
Despite leading on efforts to monitor and prevent fraud, and being a publicly traded company that is regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’), unfortunately some of these restrictions have been applied to Coinbase users as well.
These limits are a de-facto ban on crypto by the banks
Coinbase fully supports effective consumer protection measures and agrees crypto exchanges share a responsibility for safeguarding users.
However, the approach adopted here disproportionately and unfairly penalises the overwhelming majority of Coinbase users who are legally and compliantly participating in the cryptoeconomy.
Moreover, we believe that this approach by the banks fails to address the underlying issue around how we can improve user safety within cryptoasset markets together, without compromising on accessibility.
We believe that there is a positive path forward here in the UK, but it will depend on collaboration and an open dialogue between crypto exchanges and the banks. Coinbase will continue to use all available means to work productively with the banks and local regulators in support of our shared objective of an accessible cryptoeconomy in the UK that is safe for all.
What can you do?
Here are our suggestions:
The easiest solution is to make deposits from a UK bank which isn't imposing any restrictions. We recommend using either Monzo or Revolut as alternatives.
It may be that your bank is restricting only one form of deposits, e.g. blocking debit cards but allowing bank transfers. Coinbase offers 'easy bank transfers' which are a simple way to avoid these limitations.
Further Reading
