X reopens platform to sponsored crypto posts after policy update

X has revised its Paid Partnerships Policy to once again permit cryptocurrency-related promotions, reversing a restriction that had effectively been in place since mid 2024.

Back in June 2024, the company placed the entire Financial Products category, including loans, investment services and crypto, into a Prohibited designation for paid promotions and influencer partnerships. 

It was largely a reaction to concerns around undisclosed token endorsements and coordinated shilling campaigns, where creators promoted projects without clearly revealing financial arrangements.

Under the revised framework, creators may publish sponsored crypto content provided they use the official Paid Partnership label and comply with applicable laws.

Initial reports following the policy update indicated that crypto promotions were still banned.

However, X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, later clarified that it was an error and cryptocurrency is no longer listed under the Prohibited Industries section for paid promotions.

Regarding the new policy, Bier said it is intended to help creators grow their businesses while maintaining “transparency” with their followers. 

“While we want to encourage people to build their businesses on X, undisclosed promotions hurt the integrity of the product and lead people to distrust the content they read on X,” he wrote on X.

The updated structure distinguishes between organic Paid Partnerships and traditional X Ads, which means content restricted on one channel might still be allowed on the other.

Influencers, however, are responsible for ensuring compliance with advertising and endorsement regulations, including disclosure standards enforced in the United States by the Federal Trade Commission.

Further, paid crypto promotions will not be available in jurisdictions with strict financial marketing rules, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Regulators in those regions have taken a firm stance on digital asset advertising. 

The latest reversal marks another turn in X’s evolving relationship with the digital asset sector. 

The company first introduced crypto ad restrictions under the Twitter brand name in 2018, shortly after similar bans were enacted by Google and Meta following a surge in initial coin offering scams.

Reaction within the crypto community has been divided. 

While some welcomed the return of paid promotions as a signal that X is reopening to industry participation, others have questioned whether stricter disclosure enforcement could disrupt the influencer-driven marketing models that have dominated parts of the sector. See below.

X plans to become an everything app

The policy revision comes as X pushes further into financial services through its upcoming payments platform, X Money. 

X Money is central to Musk’s ambition to reshape X into a unified digital ecosystem.

The company has secured money transmitter licences in more than 40 US states and partnered with Visa to support transaction processing and compliance infrastructure.

X Money will reportedly allow peer-to-peer transfers and include built-in wallets and financial management tools.

Although speculation continues around potential cryptocurrency integration, X has not confirmed whether digital assets will be supported within X Money.