A report published in October 2026 by Stand with Crypto UK has revealed that major British banks received 10,092 complaints from 9,803 individuals over a 90-day period between May and August. The complaints concerned blocked or restricted transfers to cryptocurrency platforms registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Lloyds Banking Group recorded the highest number of complaints at 2,297, including Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers. Barclays followed with 1,569, while NatWest Group, including Royal Bank of Scotland, logged 1,278. HSBC UK was the fourth provider with more than 1,000 complaints. Other banks named included Monzo, Santander UK, Nationwide, Revolut, Starling Bank, TSB and Chase UK, while Virgin Money and Co-operative Bank had the fewest at 103 and 76 respectively.
The restrictions varied from daily and monthly limits to outright bans. Barclays and HSBC UK allow transfers up to £2,500 per transaction and £10,000 over 30 days. NatWest caps transfers at £1,000 per day and £5,000 over 30 days, while Santander has a £1,000 transaction limit and a £3,000 monthly cap. Six providers—Starling Bank, TSB, Chase UK, Metro Bank, Virgin Money and Co-operative Bank—were listed as imposing outright bans. Lloyds and Revolut had no officially announced restrictions, but customers still reported difficulties.
Complaints were recorded across all 650 UK parliamentary constituencies. Stand with Crypto UK has urged banks to replace blanket bans with individual risk assessments and called on the FCA and HM Treasury to clarify that sector-wide restrictions are unlikely to be justified solely by financial crime prevention obligations. The findings come as the UK prepares to bring crypto companies under a comprehensive regulatory framework effective October 25, 2027, with FCA applications having opened on September 30, 2026.
