X will apply a “paid promotions” label to sponsored posts and ban cryptocurrency advertising across the EU and UK. Former product head Nikita Bier says the label is meant to help creators build businesses and improve transparency with audiences.
X updated its Paid Partnerships Policy to ban crypto and financial promotions in organic posts, cutting off a common channel for sponsored crypto messaging and affecting creators and brands that used partnership labels.
Four years after the “Crypto Bowl,” Coinbase was the lone crypto advertiser during Sunday’s Super Bowl, illustrating how the industry has pulled back from high-profile marketing. The move underscores tighter budgets and heightened regulatory sensitivity across the sector.
The UK's advertising regulator has blocked a music-led Coinbase ad—already barred from TV—calling it "irresponsible" for downplaying crypto risks. The wider prohibition extends scrutiny of the spot beyond broadcast channels.
Belarusian regulators have banned major exchanges Bybit, OKX and KuCoin for failing to meet national advertising standards, citing 'indecent' promotional content. The move tightens oversight and could restrict local access to those platforms.
Spain's stock market watchdog, the CNMV, fined X €5 million after the platform failed to verify that a crypto advertiser was authorized to offer investment services. The penalty underscores rising regulatory scrutiny of crypto ads on social media.