Share this article

UK's FCA Warns Investors of High-Risk Crypto Investments and Scams

The Financial Conduct Authority said investors in cryptocurrency products offering high returns should be prepared to lose "all their money."

(Piotr Swat/Shutterstock)

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warned investors on Monday they should be prepared to lose "all their money" if they choose to invest in cryptocurrency products offering high returns.

jwp-player-placeholder
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the State of Crypto Newsletter today. See all newsletters

  • The U.K. financial regulator said consumers should make sure they understand what they are investing in and the associated risks, as they would with all high-risk and speculative investments.
  • “Consumers should be wary if they’re contacted out of the blue, pressured to invest quickly or promised returns that sound too good to be true,” said the FCA.
  • The FCA also warned there is significant price volatility in crypto assets and it can be hard to value crypto assets reliably, which places consumers at a high risk of losses.
  • Consumers for crypto asset-related investments are unlikely to have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if something goes wrong, the FCA added.
  • The FCA's ban on the sale of cryptocurrency derivatives and exchange-traded notes – brought in as a consumer protection – went into effect on Jan. 6.

Read more: UK’s Ban on Crypto Derivatives Goes Into Effect Today

Tanzeel Akhtar

Tanzeel Akhtar has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes Africa, Financial Times, The Street, Citywire, Investing.com, Euromoney, Yahoo! Finance, Benzinga, Kitco News, African Business Magazine, Hedge Week, Campden Family Office, Modern Investor, Spear's Wealth Management Magazine, Global Investor, ETF.com, ETF Stream, CIO UK, Funds Global Asia, Portfolio Institutional, Interactive Investor, Bitcoin Magazine, CryptoNews.com, Bitcoin.com, The Local, The Next Web, Mining Journal, Money Marketing, Marketing Week and more. Tanzeel trained as a foreign correspondent at the University of Helsinki, Finland and newspaper journalist at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. She holds a BA (Honours) in English Literature from the Manchester Metropolitan University, UK and completed a semester abroad as an ERASMUS student at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. She is NCTJ Qualified - Media Law, Public Administration and passed the Shorthand 100WPM with distinction. She does not currently hold value in any digital currencies or projects.

CoinDesk News Image

More For You

Crypto Industry Asks President Trump to Stop JPMorgan’s 'Punitive Tax' on Data Access

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon

A coalition of fintech and crypto trade groups is urging the White House to defend open banking and stop JPMorgan from charging fees to access customer data.

What to know:

  • Ten major fintech and crypto trade associations have urged President Trump to stop big banks from imposing fees that could hinder innovation and competition.
  • JPMorgan's plan to charge for access to consumer banking data may debank millions and threaten the adoption of stablecoins and self-custody wallets.
  • The CFPB's open banking rule, which mandates free consumer access to bank data, is under threat as banks have sued to block it, and the CFPB has requested its vacatur.