The Premier League has been called into question over some of its clubs’ relationships with crypto firms, which could deal a blow to the sector in its bid to seize a sponsorship market opportunity.
Premier League clubs have been warned by the UK financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), that they may be penalised for sponsoring unlicensed cryptocurrency companies.
The FCA wrote to the Premier League regarding sponsorships and relationships with crypto companies, warning that such agreements carry consumer protection risks. This also extends to unlicensed financial services with a presence in the UK.
The financial regulator stated that sponsorship deals with unlicensed firms could expose Premier League clubs to legal liability, money laundering risks and reputational damage.
Premier League clubs have also been advised to conduct proper due diligence before signing sponsorship deals with unlicensed financial service companies, as well as extensive reviews of the partnership on an ongoing basis. The FCA revealed that it has already spoken to relevant clubs who may have deals in place with unauthorised firms and stated “where action is needed, the FCA will take it”.
Current crypto sponsorships involving Premier League clubs includes Manchester City’s deal with OKX, as well as Tottenham Hotspurs’ kit sleeve sponsorship with Kraken.
The new English Independent Football Regulator (IFR) has also been engaging with the FCA and Premier League to tackle unlicensed financial services sponsorships.
Lucy Castledine, Director of Consumer Investments at the FCA, said: “Millions of football fans trust their club’s badge. Clubs should not let unauthorised financial firms exploit that loyalty by putting potentially dodgy products in front of millions of fans.
“A logo on a shirt means one thing: that firm paid for it. Fans should always check the firm using our Firm Checker tool before buying a financial product and help us show the red card to those that would risk your money.”
A market opportunity deterrence?
Financial services companies have significantly increased their interest in football sponsorships following the ban on gambling front-of-shirt sponsorships in the Premier League next season.
From August 2026, Premier League clubs are banned from brandishing a gambling company as their front-of-shirt sponsor.
This, in turn, has created a market opportunity for financial services companies to gain larger exposure to partner with Premier League clubs to gain visibility to the 190 countries the league is broadcasted to.
Speaking to Insider Sport as part of a roundtable conversation in August 2025, Daniel Apostolos, now Senior Account Director for SoapBox, believed that financial services companies, including crypto firms, stood the best chance of replacing the sponsoring vacuum left by gambling companies.
“Financial services, crypto, and blockchain companies have already made huge strides last season, 14 of 20 clubs had some form of crypto sponsorship,” said Apostolos.
“Travel, tourism, and hospitality brands, which had five sleeve partnerships last year, could also accelerate plans to become a dominant force.”
There are currently between 40 to 50 crypto companies that have some form of authorisation to operate in the UK, which includes, OKX, Kraken, Coinbase and Crypto.com.
Crypto companies do not receive official authorisation in the UK due to the lack of a definitive crypto regulatory framework. Rather, companies must comply with the FCA’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing rules.
