The EU ban on binary options: what is actually prohibited
Sale, distribution and advertising are three different things. That difference explains why offshore platforms still appear in search results.
The measure
In 2018 the European Securities and Markets Authority used its product intervention powers to prohibit the marketing, distribution and sale of binary options to retail clients. National authorities then made the measure permanent in most member states, each with its own legal instrument.
Three distinct prohibitions
- Sale and distribution to retail clients: prohibited.
- Advertising to the public: prohibited in several member states, notably France through the Sapin II framework.
- Affiliate promotion: follows the advertising rule. If a jurisdiction bans the promotion, a publisher that keeps running paid calls to action is exposed.
Why offshore platforms remain visible
A prohibition binds supervised firms and, depending on the country, anyone marketing the product to residents. An operator established outside the EU that accepts EU clients is not complying with the measure; that is precisely why regulators publish warning lists.
What this site does
We separate technical accessibility from authorisation. Where promotion is prohibited, pages keep the factual content and remove every commercial call to action. Where the status is unknown, we default to no call to action at all.
Practical consequence
Access to a platform is not a licence, and a licence is not a guarantee. The only reliable check is the regulator's own register, searched by legal entity name.
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- #esma
- #eu
- #advertising
Fact-check
This article was checked against the sources listed at the end. It is information, not investment advice.
Sources
This draft was produced with AI assistance and validated by a human editor.
⚠ Risk warning: binary options are high-risk speculative products. The majority of retail accounts lose money. Never invest money you cannot afford to lose.
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