Why Crypto and Fintech Brands Can't Run Traditional Ads Anymore and What They're Doing Instead

Street Poller Media’s Founder and CEO Shane Ginsberg on Why Crypto and Fintech Brands Can't Run Traditional Ads Anymore and What They're Doing Instead

Some of the fastest-growing categories in digital advertising keep colliding with the same obstacle: their ads get rejected or their entire ad accounts get disabled before a campaign ever reaches an audience. The problem has intensified considerably over the past two years as platforms have formalized what were previously ad hoc enforcement practices into explicit policy regimes.

Meta's compliance requirements around cryptocurrency advertising expanded substantially through 2025 and into 2026, introducing tiered authorization structures that require advertisers to submit regulatory licensing documentation before campaigns can run. Finance-related categories more broadly now face some of the highest ad account restriction rates on the platform, with industry analyses placing restriction rates in investment and financial services well above most other verticals. TikTok has similarly formalized a restricted-industry list covering gambling and sports betting, cryptocurrency, financial services, and weight-loss and supplement products, each carrying its own pre-approval workflow, documentation requirements, and geographic eligibility limitations.