Whether you’re looking for a new bank, a loan or insurance advice, you should be able to trust the ads you see. And knowing the business behind an ad is legitimate helps build that trust.

Today, we’re announcing the expansion of our financial services advertiser verification program to cover every member state in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA). This rollout to 24 additional countries builds on our existing program, which is already active in 18 countries around the world, including in six EU member states and the United Kingdom.

Stopping scams before they start

This additional verification builds on our existing advertiser identity verification program, which already covers more than 98% of ads seen across the EU. Paired with defenses built with Gemini, verifying an advertiser’s identity helps stop harmful ads before people see them. Last year, our systems blocked or removed more than 1.6 billion ads in the EU.

The new requirement for financial advertisers adds a layer of protection to ensure that these advertisers are authorized by their national regulators. Globally, this framework has already helped us block or remove 327.8 million unauthorized financial services ads. Bringing the verification approach to more European countries helps protect people online, while increasing people’s trust in ads and the businesses behind them.

How businesses get verified

To run financial ads, advertisers will need to complete our financial services verification process. We verify these credentials by checking them directly against the relevant official registry across the EU and EEA.

These new requirements will be introduced in phases and businesses will have 30 days to complete the process. If an advertiser isn’t verified within 30 days, we’ll restrict their financial services ads until verification is complete.

Protecting people online is a shared, ongoing effort across industries. By bringing these verification requirements to more countries, we’re helping Europeans find financial services they can trust.