Financial ads risk on Google

Case study Education Google

Financial ads risk on Google

December 30, 2025

4 min read

In a previous blog post, we focused on advertising risks of financial ads on Meta. In this blog post, we will break down financial advertising on another major advertising platform, Google.

Google allows financial advertising, but not all financial products are treated equally. Enforcement depends on product category, geographic location and advertiser’s legal and verification status.

1. Loans and Credit Products

This category includes: Personal loans, Business loans, Credit cards, Mortgages, BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) products

Loans and credit products are heavily regulated and often require Financial services verification. In order to get the verification, advertisers must be legally registered and licensed in each target country. They have to clearly disclose interest rates, fees, and repayment terms and comply with local consumer credit laws. When submitting the documents, make sure that advertiser identity match with the website and licences.

💡Quority can help you verify your ad accounts and guide you through the process!

If your product is in the category of payday loans, short-term or high-cost loans, Google completely prohibits advertising in many regions, or these are strictly regulated with additional disclosures. Additionally, Google defines payday loans broadly, so even products with longer repayment periods can be flagged if they resemble high-cost lending models. Check full Google policies regarding advertising loans here.

2. Investment and Trading Services

This category includes: Stock trading platforms, Forex and CFD trading, Investment platforms, Brokerage services

Investment related ads are considered risky due to financial harm potential. To advertise these financial products, advertisers must get a verification, just as in the case of the previous category. In order to get verified, you must hold appropriate regulatory licences (e.g. investment firm authorisation), avoid misleading performance claims and clearly communicate investment risks, through proper disclaimer.

Google treats any implication of “easy money” as a major red flag. Avoid using wording that suggests promising profits or “high returns”, or imply guaranteed outcomes. Don’t suggest investment advice without authorisation!

💡Check this blog post to get full guide for what to avoid in your finance creatives and texts.

3. Cryptocurrency Products and Services

This category includes: Crypto exchanges, wallets, trading platforms, crypto-related financial services

Crypto advertising is allowed only with explicit certification. Without the certification, crypto ads are automatically disapproved, regardless of ad quality. To obtain Google’s crypto certification, you must be registered with a recognised financial authority (depending on region). You must target only approved countries and ensure full transparency on risks and volatility, with proper disclosure.

Different crypto products are treated differently. For example, exchanges and wallets may be allowed with certification, speculative or unregulated crypto schemes are often prohibited. To find out more about crypto advertising, read our blog post Advertising Crypto in 2025: Everything You Need to Know to Advertise and Use AI Ethically.

4. Insurance Products

This category includes: Health insurance, life insurance, car insurance, travel insurance

Insurance advertising is generally considered a lower risk category. Advertisers must be licensed insurance providers or authorised intermediaries. In the ads, you should avoid misleading claims and always follow local insurance advertising laws. It also has to be clear who the insurer provider is.

If you act as a broker or comparison platform, Google expects clear disclosure of your role.

5. Financial Advisory Services

This category includes: Investment advisors, educational content, financial planners, wealth management services

Google draws a sharp line between general financial information, which is usually allowed, and personalised financial advice.

General financial information refers to educational content that helps users understand financial concepts without telling them what they should do (e.g. “how inflation affects savings”). This type of content, that doesn’t create an advisory relationship, and educates rather than influences, is allowed to advertise as long as you avoid calls to action such as “invest now”, don’t recommend specific products and include disclaimers.

On the other hand, personalised financial advice, meaning content that recommends or implies a specific financial action based on an individual’s circumstances, is usually not allowed. Google wants to avoid being the platform that facilitated bad financial decisions, as there is a high risk of these advice to be wrong, misleading, or unqualified and the harm for the user can be significant.

In general, advertisers have to hold proper advisory licences where required, avoid presenting advice as guaranteed or universally applicable and clearly disclose limitations and risks.

Not sure if your financial ads are compliant or eligible to run on Google?

Quority’s experts can help you review your product category, prepare verifications, and launch compliant Google ads without unnecessary risk. Get in touch with Quority and advertise financial products on Google.