X Lifts Crypto Ad Ban: What the New Paid Partnership Rules Mean for Influencers

TLDR

• X has lifted its global ban on paid crypto promotions, allowing influencers to monetize crypto content with a “Paid Partnership” label
• The change is banned in the EU, UK, and Australia due to stricter financial promotion laws in those regions
• Influencers must disclose paid promotions or risk violating FTC regulations on endorsements
• The crypto community is divided — some welcome the move, others warn it will trigger mass bans on Crypto Twitter
• X is also planning to launch Smart Cashtags, letting users trade stocks and crypto directly on the platform

X has removed cryptocurrency from its list of prohibited industries for paid promotions. The change took effect immediately and was confirmed by multiple observers tracking X’s policy page.

The shift reverses a ban that had been in place since at least June 2024. The entire financial products category — including loans, investment services, and crypto — was removed from X’s advertising policies.

Under the new rules, influencers and content creators can now accept payment to promote crypto projects on the platform. They must label the post with a “Paid Partnership” tag.

Influencers are responsible for making sure their content follows applicable laws, including FTC rules on endorsements. Posts that don’t carry the label could put creators at legal risk.

Where the Ban Still Stands

The new policy does not apply everywhere. Users in the UK, EU, and Australia are still blocked from seeing paid crypto promotions.

Those regions have stricter financial promotion laws, and X has placed the responsibility on influencers to make sure their content is not visible in those markets.

Gambling was also removed from the prohibited list under this update. Other industries — including pharmaceuticals, tobacco, weapons, and weight loss products — were added to the restricted list.

Reactions from the crypto community have been mixed. Some welcomed the policy as a sign of crypto going more mainstream on the platform.

Analyst Benjamin Cowen was more critical. He said 90% of crypto influencers would now need a new business model beyond pretending to like projects they were paid to promote.

A user named Rune raised concerns about enforcement. They warned that the platform was already banning users for promoting tokens, whether or not payment was involved.

X Eyes Stock and Crypto Trading Features

Beyond the ad policy change, X is expanding its financial features. On Feb. 14, Nikita Bier said the platform would launch Smart Cashtags, allowing users to trade stocks and crypto directly on X.

X owner Elon Musk also confirmed that X Money, the platform’s payments feature, will launch as a limited beta within two months before a wider rollout.

X Money is part of Musk’s plan to turn X into an everything app with social, messaging, and financial services built in. Whether crypto will be integrated into X Money has not been confirmed.

The crypto ad policy change is in effect now. The Smart Cashtags trading feature is expected to roll out in the coming months.

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