UK Banks Face 10,000 Crypto Transfer Complaints in 90 Days, Stand With Crypto Reports

UK bank customers filed 10,092 complaints over blocked or restricted transfers to crypto exchanges during a 90-day period, advocacy group Stand With Crypto said in a report published Tuesday. The complaints, filed by 9,803 people between May and August 2026 through the group's online tool, concerned transfers to platforms registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Lloyds Banking Group received the most complaints at 2,297, or more than 22% of the total, despite having no published policy restricting crypto transfers. Barclays received 1,569 and NatWest Group 1,278, while HSBC UK also exceeded 1,000, according to the report. Virgin Money and the Co-operative Bank received the fewest, at 103 and 76 respectively. Banks publishing transfer limits drew 6,198 complaints, versus 2,842 for those with no published policy and 989 for banks with outright bans. Barclays caps transfers at £2,500 per transaction and £10,000 every 30 days, citing customer protection from crypto-related scams. The group urged banks to adopt risk-based checks and publish plain-language policies, and called on the FCA and HM Treasury to state that blanket blocks are unlikely to be justified by anti-fraud rules.