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Google updated the Financial products and services policy to align with the EEA (European Economic Area) agreement with the United Kingdom. As of 1 January 2021, advertisers who are certified only to promote complex speculative financial products targeting the EEA will not be allowed to serve ads in the UK.
In order to continue to promote complex speculative financial products within the UK after 1 January 2021, advertisers should apply for a new UK complex speculative financial products certification if they are permitted to issue financial promotions by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). UK-based advertisers planning to continue advertising in the EEA would also be required to re-apply for the EU certification.
Advertisers offering complex speculative financial products will be required to be certified by Google before they can advertise through Google Ads. To be certified by Google, advertisers will need to:
- Be licensed by the relevant financial services authority in the country or countries that they are targeting;
- Ensure that their ads and landing pages comply with all Google Ads policies; and
- Comply with relevant legal requirements, including those related to complex speculative financial products.
Advertisers can request certification with Google starting 1 January 2021 when the application form is published. We will provide a 60-day grace period for advertisers to update their certification and will begin to fully enforce the new policy beginning 2 March 2021.
As a reminder, we expect all advertisers to comply with the local laws for any area that their ads target. This policy will apply globally to all accounts that advertise these financial products. For more details, see About restricted financial products certification.
(Posted January 2021)