Read the policy, not a Twitter thread
Google’s Cryptocurrencies and related products article is the source of truth. The English text is what enforcement uses. Local law still applies on top. A warning comes at least seven days before an account suspension for this policy — that is a window to stop, not a dare.
From May 2026, certification applications for exchanges, software wallets, hardware wallets, and coin trusts moved into the Google Ads account itself, not the Help Center form. Existing certifications were not wiped by that process change.
What can run without a crypto certification
Businesses that do not sell the purchase, holding, or exchange of coins: merchants who merely accept crypto as payment, mining hardware, tax and legal and security services, blockchain platforms that do not market tokens, and educational material that does not offer investment advice, tips, odds, calculators, or trend analysis.
NFT games may be advertised when they sell in-game items consumed in play (armor, weapons, apparel) and they comply with local law. Games that stake NFTs for a chance at real-world value, or social casinos that pay out NFTs, are prohibited.
Restricted: certification plus a licensed market
Hardware wallets that only store keys, cryptocurrency exchanges, software wallets, and coin trusts may advertise only after Google certification, only in listed locations, and — except hardware wallets — only as a licensed provider. If the country is not on Google’s list, those products cannot be advertised. Google says it does not support non-approved markets.
In August 2026 Google announced that exchanges, software wallets, and hardware wallets could be promoted in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway in the EEA if the advertiser is a MiCA CASP, meets national extras, and is certified by Google.
Banned regardless of location
ICOs and pre-sales, DeFi trading protocols, crypto loans, initial DEX offerings, token liquidity pools, unhosted software wallets, unregulated dApps. Destinations that aggregate or compare issuers — trading signals, investment advice, affiliate broker-review farms. Those are not ‘grey’; they are no.
Landing pages get reviewed as the product
An ad that looks like a hardware wallet but lands on a swap widget is the swap. Google reviews the destination. Do not split the claim across the ad and the page and hope only the ad is judged.
If you are building the product, not buying the clicks
Licensing and certification are prerequisites to paid media, not a studio’s media-buying promise. Related work at Kiwi is a SaaS MVP or portal you own, with access control, not a guaranteed ads account. Request a fit review if the product is the constraint.
Frequently asked questions
Can we advertise a software wallet in the United States on Google Ads?
Only if the United States is an approved targeted location for that product at the time you apply, you are licensed where required, and Google certifies the account. Check the live location table in the policy. This article is not a license opinion.
Is educational crypto content always safe?
Only if it stays education. Tips, odds, calculators, and technical trend analysis push it toward investment advice, which Google groups with prohibited aggregator content.
Do NFT games need the exchange certification?
Google currently allows certain NFT games that sell consumed in-game items without that certification, subject to other policies and local law. Wagering NFTs for real-world value is prohibited.
Will Kiwi run Google Ads for a token launch?
No. ICOs and token sales are prohibited on Google Ads. We do not sell a workaround, and we do not sell ranking or lead promises.
Sources
- Google Ads policies — Cryptocurrencies and related products
- Google Ads policies — Cryptocurrency policy update (August 2026)
- Google Ads policies — Certification process update (May 2026)
Figures cited above are drawn from the linked publications and are the responsibility of their sources; we date and scope them rather than presenting them as universal guarantees.