How to check if a crypto firm is authorised

By the Blockhorizon Editorial Team · Updated 2 October 2026 · How we check facts

What does “registered” or “authorised” mean for a crypto firm?

For a stockbroker, “authorised” usually means a regulator has approved the firm to offer investments and that certain protections may apply. Crypto is different. In the UK, the US and Australia, the main register for crypto exchanges and wallet providers is an anti-money-laundering (AML) register. The regulator checks that the business has controls against money laundering and terrorist financing. It does not approve the firm’s products or promise that your money is safe.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) puts it plainly: crypto “remains largely unregulated in the UK, except for anti-money laundering and financial promotion.” So the first question is not just “is this firm on a register?” but “which register, and what does that listing actually cover?”

That still makes the check worth doing. A firm that is missing from the register it should be on is a serious red flag, and UK and Australian regulators both say that providing these crypto services without registration is illegal.

How do you check a crypto firm in the UK?

Since 10 January 2020 the FCA has supervised UK cryptoasset businesses for anti-money-laundering purposes. Firms that exchange crypto for money (or for other crypto) and firms that hold crypto for customers must register with the FCA before they start.

In 2026 the FCA said: “Consumers can check whether a crypto firm is correctly registered with the FCA using the FCA’s Firm Checker.” To do that:

1. Type fca.org.uk/consumers/fca-firm-checker into your browser yourself. The FCA’s advice is: “Never click on links in emails or on company websites.”
2. Search by the firm’s name and open its entry.
3. Check the firm reference number (FRN), website, phone and email match what you were given.
4. For more detail, use the Financial Services Register at register.fca.org.uk. The FCA says Firm Checker does not show published restrictions relating to crypto activities, so the full Register entry is worth reading.

Registration is not optional. Describing a 2026 crackdown on unregistered peer-to-peer crypto traders, the FCA said such activity carried out by way of business in the UK needs registration: “Without registration, that activity is illegal.” A fuller UK regime is coming: the FCA says the new cryptoasset regime is expected to come into force on 25 October 2027.

How do you check a crypto provider in the EU under MiCA?

The EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) requires crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) to be authorised by a national regulator. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) publishes an interim MiCA register on its MiCA web page. It is a set of five downloadable spreadsheet (CSV) files, including one for authorised CASPs and one for non-compliant entities. ESMA says it publishes the latest version weekly, using information from the national authority that authorised each firm.

When we opened the CASP file in October 2026, it listed each firm’s legal and commercial name, home country, national regulator, website, authorisation date and the services it may provide. Search it for the firm’s name and compare the website with the one you are using.

Timing matters. MiCA’s transitional period, which let some firms keep operating under older national rules, ended on 1 July 2026. ESMA warned in June 2026 that clients of unauthorised CASPs “do not benefit from MiCA safeguards, including protections for client assets.” It invited clients to verify their provider in the ESMA register and act promptly if it is not there.

How do you check a crypto business in the US?

In the US, a business that exchanges crypto for money is generally treated as a money services business (MSB), specifically a money transmitter, under rules from the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). FinCEN set this out in 2013 guidance on virtual currency.

In a 2024 public service announcement, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) advised checking that a crypto money transmitting service is registered as an MSB with FinCEN before using it. FinCEN’s MSB Registrant Search is at fincen.gov/msb-state-selector.

Read that result carefully. FinCEN says inclusion on its MSB list “is not a recommendation, certification of legitimacy, or endorsement of that business by any government agency”, and adds: “FinCEN does not verify information submitted by the MSB.” The FBI also warns to beware of financial services that do not ask for identity (KYC) information such as your name, date of birth, address and ID.

An MSB registration covers money transmission only. If someone offers you investment advice, a brokerage account or futures trading, check the US securities and derivatives tools as well: FINRA BrokerCheck and the Investor.gov professional search for securities firms, and the National Futures Association’s BASIC search, which the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) points to for futures and forex firms.

How do you check in Australia and Singapore?

Australia. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) regulates virtual asset service providers (VASPs) for anti-money-laundering purposes. That covers exchanging crypto for money or other crypto, and holding crypto for customers. AUSTRAC says: “It's illegal to provide virtual asset services in Australia without being registered.” Its public VASP Register, linked from AUSTRAC’s virtual asset service providers page, lists the providers registered with it.

Singapore. Digital payment token services are licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the Payment Services Act. MAS says licensees are listed on its Financial Institutions Directory, and “The public is encouraged to deal with financial institutions that are listed on the directory.” MAS has also warned consumers not to deal with unregulated entities, including those based overseas.

Anywhere else. Find the financial regulator in your own country and use its register. As an extra check, the global securities regulators’ body IOSCO runs I-SCAN, a free search of warnings that regulators have published about unauthorised firms and impersonators.

What should you match when you find the firm on a register?

Finding a similar name is not enough. Scammers copy the identity of real, registered firms, a trick known as a clone firm. Check each of these against the register entry, not against anything the firm sent you:

• Exact legal name, not just a brand that sounds similar.
• Reference or registration number, such as the FCA’s FRN.
• Website address, letter by letter. The EU CASP file lists each firm’s website.
• Phone number and email. The FCA advises using only the contact details on its register, not the ones a caller gives you.
• Status and services: the entry should be current and should cover the service you want.

Then search the warning lists too, such as the FCA Warning List, ESMA’s non-compliant entities file and IOSCO’s I-SCAN. Absence from a warning list proves nothing: the FCA says that if a firm isn’t on its list, “it may still be unauthorised or be a scam.” For the full set of warning signs, see crypto scam red flags.

What does registration not protect you from?

Registration answers one question: is this business allowed to operate here? It does not tell you the firm is financially sound, that your crypto is insured, or that the coins it sells are a good investment.

• No compensation scheme in the UK. The FCA tells crypto firms that registration “does not mean your customers benefit from the protections of the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)”. It also says registration is “not a recommendation or endorsement” of the business.
• No endorsement in the US. A FinCEN MSB listing is not a certification of legitimacy, and FinCEN does not verify what firms submit.
• Price risk stays with you. MAS warns that consumers trading digital payment tokens may lose their assets, and may face significant delays in getting assets back if a provider becomes insolvent.
• Platform risk. If a platform holds your crypto, its failure, hack or frozen withdrawals become your problem. See crypto wallets and private keys to understand who controls your coins.

Treat a register check as the minimum entry ticket, not a seal of approval.