From Decrypt · By Decrypt Agent
In brief
Advocacy group Stand With Crypto said UK bank customers filed 10,092 complaints over blocked or restricted transfers to crypto exchanges in 90 days.
Lloyds Banking Group received 2,297 complaints, followed by Barclays with 1,569 and NatWest Group with 1,278, according to the report.
The group urged the FCA and Treasury to make clear that sector-wide blocks are not proportionate, ahead of the UK's crypto regime taking effect next year.
UK bank customers sent 10,092 complaints about blocked or restricted transfers to crypto exchanges over 90 days, crypto advocacy group Stand With Crypto said in a report published on Tuesday.
The complaints were filed by 9,803 people between May and August 2026 through an online tool run by the group, and concerned transfers to platforms registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, the UK's financial regulator. They came from every one of the UK's 650 parliamentary constituencies, the group said in a tweet.
📣 We are pleased to announce our report, Blocked: Britain’s Crypto Access Problem, is live.
In just 90 days, people sent 10,092 complaints to their banks about fiat transfers to crypto exchanges being blocked or restricted. Complaints came from every single one of the UK’s 650… pic.twitter.com/jWXbhbJTyZ
— Stand With Crypto In The UK🛡️🇬🇧 (@StandWCrypto_UK) October 20, 2026
Lloyds Banking Group, which includes Halifax and Bank of Scotland, received the most, with 2,297, or more than 22% of the total, even though it has no published policy restricting crypto transfers. Barclays received 1,569 and NatWest Group, which includes Royal Bank of Scotland, 1,278. HSBC UK also received more than 1,000, according to the report, which does not give its exact total. Virgin Money and the Co-operative Bank received the fewest, with 103 and 76 respectively. Decrypt has reached out to Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group and HSBC UK for comment.
Six banks publish limits on crypto transfers, according to the report. Barclays caps them at £2,500 per transaction and £10,000 every 30 days, NatWest at £1,000 a day and £5,000 every 30 days, and Santander UK at £1,000 per transaction and £3,000 every 30 days. Starling, TSB, Chase UK, Metro Bank, Virgin Money and the Co-operative Bank block crypto transfers entirely.
"The protection of our customers' funds is our highest priority," a Barclays spokesperson told Decrypt. "Like many other banks, we've introduced limits on payments to cryptocurrency exchanges to help protect customers from crypto-related scams and losses."
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Banks that apply limits received 6,198 complaints, while those with no published policy, Lloyds and Revolut, received 2,842. Banks with outright bans received 989, which the report suggests may be because their customers know not to try.