UK bank customers filed 10,092 complaints regarding blocked or restricted transfers to crypto exchanges over a 90-day period between May and August 2026. The data, compiled by the advocacy group Stand With Crypto, covers reports from 9,803 individuals across all 650 parliamentary constituencies in the UK.
Lloyds Banking Group received the highest volume of complaints at 2,297, despite having no public policy restricting such transactions. Barclays followed with 1,569 complaints, while NatWest Group and HSBC UK also recorded significant figures. Smaller numbers were reported for Virgin Money and the Co-operative Bank.
The report identifies varying approaches among institutions. Six banks, including Barclays, NatWest, and Santander UK, enforce specific transaction limits. Others, such as Starling, TSB, and Chase UK, maintain total bans on crypto transfers. Banks with explicit limits accounted for 6,198 of the total complaints.
The findings highlight a lack of predictability for customers regarding bank policies. Previous industry data from 2025 indicated that banks blocked or delayed approximately 40% of transfers to major exchanges. One exchange reported nearly £1 billion in declined transactions over a single year.
Parliamentary interest in the issue is growing, with the Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group launching an inquiry into banking access for crypto firms. Stand With Crypto recommends that banks shift to case-by-case risk assessments and improve transparency regarding their internal policies.
