Erica Stanford is a fintech and AI specialist. She’s also author of Crypto Wars: Faked Deaths, Missing Billions and Industry Disruption which was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Business Book Awards. She speaks and writes globally about digital assets, scams, and the integration of AI, as well as being an associate guest lecturer on digital assets at Warwick Business School and founder of the UK’s leading community the Crypto Curry Club.
Estimated reading time: 2 min
Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.
What are the key risks?
1. You could lose all the money you invest
- The performance of most cryptoassets can be highly volatile, with their value dropping as quickly as it can rise. You should be prepared to lose all the money you invest in cryptoassets.
- The cryptoasset market is largely unregulated. There is a risk of losing money or any cryptoassets you purchase due to risks such as cyber-attacks, financial crime and firm failure.
2. You should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong
- The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) doesn't protect this type of investment because it's not a 'specified investment' under the UK regulatory regime – in other words, this type of investment isn't recognised as the sort of investment that the FSCS can protect. Learn more by using the FSCS investment protection checker.
- The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) will not be able to consider complaints related to this firm or Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
3. You may not be able to sell your investment when you want to
- There is no guarantee that investments in cryptoassets can be easily sold at any given time. The ability to sell a cryptoasset depends on various factors, including the supply and demand in the market at that time.
- Operational failings such as technology outages, cyber-attacks and comingling of funds could cause unwanted delay and you may be unable to sell your cryptoassets at the time you want.
4. Cryptoasset investments can be complex
- Investments in cryptoassets can be complex, making it difficult to understand the risks associated with the investment.
- You should do your own research before investing. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
- Putting all your money into a single type of investment is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
- A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.
If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA's website here.
For further information about cryptoassets, visit the FCA's website here.
Welcome to the Finder Crypto Innovation Awards 2024
Finder’s Innovation Awards recognise financial providers that are innovating in their area by bringing new and impactful features to the market and delivering beneficial services to their customers.
Now in their second year, this round of awards recognises innovation in the cryptocurrency market over the past year. A shortlist of providers was drawn together by Finder’s subject area specialists and the finalists were then assessed by an expert panel of judges. We can now announce the winners!
Winner: Kraken
Crypto Innovation
Kraken were unanimously chosen by our expert judging panel as the winner of this year’s crypto innovation awards. The judges were impressed with the innovation involved in the new open-source multi-chain wallet and praised the move for its transparency, security and decentralisation.
Highly Commended: CoinJar
Crypto Innovation
CoinJar took the much-deserved highly commended spot for reducing the recurring buy fee on debit cards to make it cheaper for dollar-cost averaging and introducing a way to rebalance existing bundles (groups of investments). The judges praised the value and ease the innovation offered to regular crypto investors and the fact it promotes responsible investing.
Judging process
The shortlist of finalists in each category was selected by Finder’s subject area specialists, who identified the providers they felt were displaying key innovations in their field.
The shortlist was then passed to an expert judging panel (details below), who decided the winning and highly commended companies by assessing the finalists across 3 different criteria: uniqueness of innovation, impact in the market and value to customers.
Finalists:
CoinJar
eToro
Kraken
Uphold
Judging Panel
Charles Kerrigan is a Partner at law firm CMS and specialist in emerging technologies including crypto, digital assets, Web3 and AI. The Blockchain Industry in the UK Landscape Overview names Charles as a “leading influencer in blockchain”. He sits on the advisory boards of AI and crypto firms and trade bodies. He’s the editor and co-author of Artificial Intelligence Law and Regulation, as well as contributing editor of AI, Machine Learning & Big Data.
George Sweeney is a deputy editor at Finder, specialising in crypto and investing. He has previously written for publications such as The Motley Fool UK, Freetrade, Investing in the Web, MoneyMagpie, Online Mortgage Advisor, Wealth, and Compare Forex Brokers. He focuses on making personal finance and investing engaging for everyone. To do this he draws from previous work and his Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA), sharing what he’s learnt.
Previous Finder Awards winners
*Cryptocurrencies aren't regulated in the UK and there's no protection from the Financial Ombudsman or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Your capital is at risk. Capital gains tax on profits may apply.
Cryptocurrencies are speculative and investing in them involves significant risks - they're highly volatile, vulnerable to hacking and sensitive to secondary activity. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This content shouldn't be interpreted as a recommendation to invest. Before you invest, you should get advice and decide whether the potential return outweighs the risks. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.
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