Meta has repeatedly failed to stop illegal advertisements for high-risk financial products in Britain, despite previously committing to block them, according to a review by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority.

The regulator found that in a single week in November, 1,052 ads for foreign exchange trading and complex financial products appeared on Meta platforms from advertisers not authorized to promote them. More than half of those ads were linked to unauthorised advertisers the FCA had already flagged to Meta.

The findings add to growing pressure on the company to do more to stop scam-related financial promotions on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. British authorities say social media platforms have become a major source of fraud targeting consumers with risky investment schemes and misleading trading offers.

The FCA said it has continued testing Meta’s systems and has not seen a meaningful improvement. Meta responded by saying it acts aggressively against fraud and removes most reported violations within days, while arguing that it has ongoing safeguards in place.

The issue is especially sensitive in Britain because regulators currently have limited power to punish platforms for paid scam ads. While the Online Safety Act is being introduced, the section allowing direct action against paid fraudulent ads is not expected to take effect until at least 2027.

The case has renewed calls for stronger enforcement and faster action from technology companies, with critics arguing that scam advertising remains too easy to run in the UK compared with countries such as Australia, where stricter financial ad verification rules already apply.