UK's financial watchdog cracks down on Premier League crypto partnerships

Policy Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email UK's financial watchdog cracks down on Premier League crypto partnerships The FCA said unauthorized firms could be breaching rules on financial promotions through high-profile sponsorships deals. By Jamie Crawley | Edited by Sheldon Reback Jun 3, 2026, 10:19 a.m. 1 min read Make preferred on (Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images) What to know : Premier League soccer clubs have been warned by the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority about sponsorship deals with unauthorized crypto firms. Clubs enabling such promotions could be exposed to legal liability, money laundering and reputational damage, the FCA said. OKX and Kraken are the two most prominent crypto companies to have sponsored Premier League Clubs, signing deals with Manchester City and Spurs, respectively. Premier League soccer clubs have been warned by the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) about sponsorship deals with unauthorized crypto firms . The FCA said unauthorized firms could be breaching rules on financial promotions through the high-profile sponsorship deals. Clubs enabling such promotions could be exposed to legal liability, money laundering and reputational damage, the FCA said. Companies not listed on the FCA's crypto register are allowed to advertise in the U.K. only if their marketing material is signed off by a company authorized to approve it. "Millions of football fans trust their club’s badge," Lucy Castledine, director of consumer investments at the FCA, said. "Clubs should not let unauthorised financial firms exploit that loyalty by putting potentially dodgy products in front of millions of fans." The most prominent crypto sponsorship deals in the Premier League to date have been OKX's logo appearing on the sleeves of Manchester City shirts , and Kraken occupying a similar berth on Tottenham Hotspur's . Kraken is on the FCA's registry of authorized crypto firms (through parent company Payward). OKX is not. The FCA said it has written directly to Premier League clubs to warn them about unauthorized crypto companies and remind them of their responsibilities to their fans. Neither Manchester City nor OKX had responded to a request for comment by publication time. UK Regulation More For You Banks' survey says people don't want to rock the boat if stablecoin yield risks lending By Jesse Hamilton | Edited by Nikhilesh De 1 hour ago The American Bankers Association, which lobbies against the crypto sector over the Clarity Act's stablecoin section, unveiled its new polling. What to know : The American Bankers Association commissioned a poll to back up its opposition to stablecoin yield, which the group says is reinforced by survey respondents who agree that it shouldn't be allowed if it could threaten U.S. lending and community banking. The survey also indicates that a significant 30% of U.S.... Read full story Latest Crypto News Trezor says your crypto is safe after Ledger audit exposes a hardware flaw 16 minutes ago DeFi won't win over big banks until it fixes its hacking problem, executives say 1 hour ago Banks' survey says people don't want to rock the boat if stablecoin yield risks lending 1 hour ago Franklin Templeton says Wall Street fears blockchain because it threatens its profits 3 hours ago Big tech is 'terrified' of AI agents wiping out ad revenue, says Billions Network CEO 3 hours ago Prediction market traders bet bitcoin's selloff has further to run 3 hours ago Top Stories Bitcoin's slide to $66,000 is accelerating a shift into digital dollars 7 hours ago Bullish crypto bets lose $1.6 billion as ETH, SOL, DOGE drop 9% 5 hours ago Bitcoin's 'fear gauge' surges nearly 20%, its biggest jump since Feb. 5 crash 4 hours ago Bitcoin plunges below $66,000 as global stocks, AI trades hit fresh records 5 hours ago Hyperliquid predicted 80% of oil move before traditional exchanges opened, says expert report 18 hours ago Bullish XRP signals are piling up. The price keeps falling. 5 hours ago