Google will clamp down on financial fraud on its platform in Britain, saying on Wednesday that all financial services will need to be verified by the regulator before they can advertise.
Britain’s financial watchdog issued 1,200 consumer warnings last year about scams advertised via social media platforms by fake companies, double the number in 2019.
Google, which is part of U.S. tech giant Alphabet Inc , said in a blog post it will begin enforcing the new policy, which follows calls from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to vet paid promotions, from Sept. 6.
“While this is an important step from Google we think a permanent and consistent solution requires legislation,” an FCA spokesperson said in emailed statement.
The regulator will assess the outcome of Google’s decision once the changes take effect, the spokesperson added.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has been lobbying the government to introduce a legal requirement for internet giants to take down financial fraud websites, the Sunday Times reported in March.
Photo: file photo by EPA/DANIEL DEME
4th May 2026
Morning Briefing
Abela Promises More Family Benefits as Labour Emphasises Stability and Long-Term Planning: Prime Minister Robert Abela has pledged additional financial support for fa...
1st May 2026
The European Union and South American bloc Mercosur will implement on Friday a contentious free trade agreement that the EU in particular hopes will benefit exporters and calm critics, ...
4th May 2026
Morning Briefing
Abela Promises More Family Benefits as Labour Emphasises Stability and Long-Term Planning: Prime Minister Robert Abela has pledged additional financial support for fa...
1st May 2026
Labour pitches stability, subsidies and broad social support
Prime Minister Robert Abela used the third day of the campaign to reinforce Labour’s message of continuity, positioning th...
28th April 2026
The European Parliament has thrown its weight behind demands for a bigger long-term EU budget, approving its position for negotiations on the bloc’s next seven-year financial framework f...
25th April 2026
Disinformation is no longer spreading only through fringe actors or political agitators, but through a digital system that rewards outrage, sensationalism and engagement above accuracy, ...
30th April 2026
Unilever said on Thursday it would raise prices to soften the hit from higher-than-expected costs driven by the Iran war, even as it reported first-quarter underlying sales growth ahead...
30th April 2026
Brent oil prices rose as much as 7% on Thursday on a report the U.S. is considering potential military action against Iran to break the deadlock in negotiations to end the war, increasi...
14th April 2026
“A company’s workplace culture praised by management, needs to be taken with caution. But when the recognition comes directly from employees, that carries greater weight,” says JONATHAN ...
14th April 2026
EU lawmakers have approved new rules aimed at strengthening how failing banks are managed, extending protections to a wider range of institutions and depositors across the bloc.
The p...
28th April 2026
Malta Public Transport will be operating extended late-night services on the final night of the Malta International Fireworks Festival, scheduled for Thursday 30th April, ensuring specta...
17th April 2026
Malta Public Transport announces that it will be operating two additional evening trips between Mġarr and Nadur in Gozo on Saturday 18 April 2026 to facilitate passenger travel following...
20th April 2026
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained at a virtual standstill on Monday with just three crossings in the space of 12 hours, according to shipping data.
The oil prod...
14th April 2026
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, say Iran carries out more executions per capita than any other country, and more in total than any nation except China, where reliable fig...
25th February 2026
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
9th February 2026
María Corina Machado is a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition. She has reported that one of her closest associates, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted. This occurred mere hours afte...
28th April 2026
Ukraine struck Russia’s oil infrastructure in the Black Sea port city of Tuapse for the third time in a month, local authorities said Tuesday.
The city, which declared an environmenta...
21st April 2026
Russian forces have taken 1,700 square km (656 square miles) of territory in Ukraine this year and are advancing on its so-called fortress belt in Donbas, Moscow's top general said whil...