FCA Crypto Authorization: What It Means for Traders and Projects

When you hear FCA crypto authorization, the Financial Conduct Authority’s official approval for crypto businesses to operate legally in the UK. Also known as FCA registration, it’s not a guarantee a project is safe—but it does mean they’ve passed basic checks on money laundering, transparency, and customer protection. This isn’t just paperwork. It’s the difference between trading on a platform that answers to regulators and one that vanishes overnight.

Most crypto projects don’t have FCA authorization. Even big names like Binance and KuCoin operate in the UK under limited permissions or through subsidiaries. The FCA doesn’t approve tokens or coins—it approves businesses. So if a project says it’s "FCA-approved," they’re either misleading you or referring to their payment processor, not the token itself. Real FCA-registered firms include Coinfloor, Crypto.com (via its UK entity), and Wirex. They must report suspicious activity, keep client funds separate, and disclose fees clearly. If a platform doesn’t list its FCA registration number on its website, it’s not registered.

Why does this matter to you? Because the FCA has banned crypto derivatives like CFDs and has warned that most crypto assets are high-risk. If you’re using a platform without FCA authorization, you have no protection if it fails. No compensation scheme. No legal recourse. The FCA also cracks down hard on scams—like fake airdrops or unregistered exchanges—that pretend to be legitimate. You’ll see this in the posts below: projects like IslandSwap and MiaSwap v2 are dead because they never had any regulatory standing. Meanwhile, exchanges like ProBit and EarnBit are reviewed with one question in mind: do they play by the rules? The FCA doesn’t make crypto safe, but it filters out the worst actors. That’s something.

What you’ll find here aren’t hype pieces. These are real breakdowns of platforms, tokens, and airdrops—some with FCA ties, most without. You’ll learn which ones are built to last, which ones are ghost towns, and how to spot the red flags regulators already flagged. No fluff. Just what you need to know before you click "connect wallet" or send your first ETH.