FTX UK Warning from FCA

FTX UK warning - not authorized to operate in United Kingdom, warns FCA

A notification about FTX exchange's UK operations has been issued by Britain's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The statement said that FTX, one of the world's largest crypto exchanges, is not authorized to operate in the UK.

The statement, first published on 16 September, 2022, said the FCA believed FTX might be providing financial services or products without authorization. It further stated that the firm is not authorized by the FCA and is targeting people in the UK.

Referring to FTX UK operations, the statement added that "almost all firms and individuals" who offer, promote, or sell financial services in the UK must be registered. When asked about the notice, a spokesperson of the exchange told Bloomberg that they were aware of the FTX UK statement by the FCA. They also noted that among the contact info listed about the exchange, the phone numbers were incorrect, indicating a scammer might be impersonating it. On 19 September, 2022, Sam Bankman-Fried, the firm's CEO, tweeted, reiterating that a scammer was impersonating the platform in the UK by phone. In the tweet, he stated that the exchange will never call anyone by phone and provided links that allowed access to the platform.

As of 14 October, the FCA has updated its warning against the platform to exclude the phone numbers believed to be tied to scammers. However, the regulator still warns UK citizens against engaging with the platform as it is unauthorized to operate in the country.

The statement warned UK citizens about engaging with unauthorized firms. Those who engage with unauthorized firms will not be able to access the Financial Ombudsman Service that settles disputes between companies and individuals.

There will also not be protection under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). If anything goes wrong and they lose their funds, they might not be able to recover the money.

About the exchange

Launched in May 2019, FTX is a multibillion-dollar crypto exchange and trading platform owned by Bankman-Fried. It is incorporated in Antigua and Barbuda and headquartered in the Bahamas.

It has more than a million users worldwide and is available in many countries. While it is not available in the US, among other countries, it offers US citizens its services through FTX US.

The firm is not the only crypto asset firm to be put in the spotlight by Britain’s regulator for conducting business in the UK without authorization. Binance, another major global crypto exchange, has been issued several warnings by the regulator about its activities in the UK. On 7 March, 2022, the firm was warned against undertaking any regulated activities in the UK without their written consent.

So far, only a few crypto asset firms are authorized by the regulator to operate in the UK. They include Gemini, Kraken, and Crypto.com.