UK ramps up crypto ad crackdown with legal action against HTX

British regulators have taken steps to restrict crypto exchange HTX’s reach in the UK by requesting major tech platforms to block public access to its services following an ongoing legal dispute over alleged illegal promotions.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Financial Conduct Authority said it had formally asked Google and Apple to delist HTX apps from their respective UK storefronts. 

The regulator also called on social media companies to block HTX’s accounts from being accessible to UK-based users, citing the firm’s continued violation of domestic financial advertising laws.

The move expands on a lawsuit the FCA filed in October 2025 against HTX and several unidentified individuals, alleging the Panama-registered exchange promoted crypto asset services to British consumers without proper authorisation. 

Despite previous warnings, the FCA says HTX continued distributing financial promotions in breach of the UK’s Financial Promotions Regime introduced in 2023 to strengthen consumer protection in the digital asset space.

HTX, formerly known as Huobi Global, has been flagged on the FCA’s Warning List, which highlights firms that operate without appropriate oversight. 

The regulator said the exchange had implemented limited restrictions to prevent new UK user registrations, but existing customers could still log in and access promotional content deemed unlawful under the UK regime.

The FCA expressed concern over HTX’s lack of transparency, stating that the firm operates through “an opaque organisational structure” and has not disclosed the identities of its owners or website operators. 

It also noted that repeated efforts to initiate dialogue with HTX had been ignored.

Although Chinese entrepreneur Justin Sun has publicly been associated with HTX in the role of global adviser, he is not named in the FCA’s lawsuit. The company itself has yet to comment on the action.

“This marks the first time we’ve pursued this level of enforcement against a crypto firm over illegal marketing to UK consumers,” said Steve Smart, the FCA’s joint executive director of enforcement and market oversight.

UK targets crypto ads

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