Overview
- The Financial Conduct Authority has written directly to Premier League and other football clubs warning that sponsorships with unauthorised crypto and trading platforms can breach UK financial promotion rules and expose clubs to legal action.
- The FCA said it has already contacted clubs where it identified concerns and urged stronger checks on who pays for shirt, sleeve and stadium branding to prevent unlawful promotions that can be criminal offences.
- The warning highlights fan harm because customers who use unregulated platforms risk losing all their money and are unlikely to have access to UK complaint or compensation routes.
- High‑profile deals have drawn scrutiny with OKX reported as not on the FCA register and Kraken appearing via its parent company, showing how offshore sponsors can gain mass visibility without UK authorisation.
- The regulator is coordinating with the government, the Premier League and the new Independent Football Regulator while preparing a formal crypto authorisation process that opens for applications on September 30, 2026, which could reshape which firms can sponsor clubs.