The UK's prescribed crypto risk warning is 167 characters long. Apple's promotional text field holds 170. Most guides to finance app store review guidelines stop at Apple and Google. But the store only sets the space. Regulators decide what fills it. In 2025, Apple rejected 2,093,244 of 9,100,620 submissions and removed 8,488 Finance apps (Apple, 2025 App Store Transparency Report).
Growth wants rates on screenshot 1. Compliance wants warnings. The rules sit in different documents across 175 storefronts (Apple Newsroom, May 20, 2026). None of them maps to a field. This guide does, for finance only (sizes and the general screenshot rejection traps have their own guide). It's the field map behind our work with regulated apps.
Key Takeaways
- A finance listing answers to three rulebooks; App Review checks only two.
- Apple caps loan APR at 36% "including costs and fees"; Google bars US loans at 36% or higher.
- No mandatory warning fits a 30-character name or subtitle. If a field can't hold the disclosure, it can't hold the claim.
- Promotional text skips App Review. It doesn't skip regulators.
This guide sums up platform rules and public regulatory texts as retrieved on September 28, 2026. It isn't legal advice. The rules depend on your licences, products and markets, so have compliance or counsel sign off listing copy. We label our own readings as ours (how we source and date regulatory claims).
Which rulebooks does a finance app's store listing answer to?
Three at once. Platform eligibility rules decide who may publish and where, while platform metadata rules decide what any listing may say. The third is financial-promotion law, in each market the listing reaches. Store review in 2026 checks the first two, strictly. Apple rejected 23.0% of 2025 submissions, 2,093,244 of 9,100,620 (Apple Transparency Report; our arithmetic).
Layer one is Apple's 5.1.1(ix) and 3.2.1(viii) and Google's licence forms, and layer two is Guideline 2.3 of Apple's App Review Guidelines and Google Play's Metadata policy. Layer three comes from the UK's FCA and, in the US, FINRA, the SEC, the CFPB, the FDIC and the FTC. In the EU, it's MiCA and the new Consumer Credit Directive (CCD2). Neither store says it checks your copy against this third layer, so that job falls to you, and it's better done before a regulator does it.
The three rulebooks behind a finance listing, and who checks each
What do the App Store review guidelines say about finance and crypto apps?
Mostly who submits and where the app is offered. In the current Apple App Review Guidelines, last updated June 8, 2026, one rule covers apps in "highly regulated fields" such as banking, financial services and crypto exchanges. Such apps "should be submitted by a legal entity that provides the services, and not by an individual developer" (Guideline 5.1.1(ix)).
Trading, investing and money-management apps go further: they "should be submitted by the financial institution performing such services" (3.2.1(viii)). They also need licences "in the locations where you make them available" under the same rule. The table below sets out Apple's other finance rules.
| Guideline | What it says | For the listing |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1.5(i) Wallets | "offered by developers enrolled as an organization" | The seller is an organization |
| 3.1.5(iii) Exchanges | Only where the app has "appropriate licensing and permissions" | Storefront list = licence map |
| 3.1.5(iv) ICOs, crypto futures | "must come from established banks, securities firms" or other approved institutions | The seller is the institution |
| 3.1.5(v) Rewards | No "currency for completing tasks, such as downloading other apps" | No "earn crypto for referrals" frames |
| 3.2.1(v) Insurance | "must be free" and "cannot use in-app purchase" | No purchase prices |
| 3.2.2(viii) Derivatives | Binary options "not permitted"; CFDs and FOREX "properly licensed in all jurisdictions" | Drop unlicensed storefronts |
| 3.2.2(ix) Loans | "clearly and conspicuously disclose all loan terms"; APR not "higher than 36%, including costs and fees"; no full repayment "in 60 days or less" | Loan terms where users see them |
| 2.3.7 Metadata | Names, subtitles, screenshots and previews "should not include prices, terms, or descriptions that are not specific to the metadata type"; no "unverifiable product claims" | No rates or "#1" in short fields |
| 2.3.9 Account data | "display fictional account information instead of data from a real person" | Demo balances only |
| 4.1(c) Brands | No other developer's "brand, or product name in your app's icon or name, without approval" | No "Wallet for [Exchange]" |
Apple's November 13, 2025 update added crypto exchanges to 5.1.1(ix), clarified the loan rule's "costs and fees" and 60-day wording, and added 4.1(c) (Apple Developer News). The June 8, 2026 revision changed nothing for finance. Guideline 3.1.1 also bars crypto as a way to unlock features.
The scrutiny has a reason. In 2025, Apple removed "nearly 59,000 apps" altered after review "with the intent of financial fraud" (Apple Newsroom, May 20, 2026). So expect reviewers to ask questions. For keywords, see how Guideline 2.3.7 polices metadata.
Apple wants regulated apps from "a legal entity that provides the services" (5.1.1(ix)), and Google says it must "establish a connection between your developer account and any provided licenses" (Financial Services policy). FINRA wants the member's name shown "prominently" (Rule 2210(d)(3)). Brand the title as you like, but the seller or developer name should be the licensed entity (our reading).
What does Google Play's Financial Services policy require in the listing?
Google says more about listing text. As of 2026, personal-loan apps must "disclose the following information in the app metadata," and that includes lead generators. The list covers the minimum and maximum repayment period, the maximum APR and "a representative example of the total cost of the loan" (Google Play, Financial Services, retrieved September 28, 2026).
In the US, Google bars personal-loan apps "where the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is 36% or higher" (same policy). US apps must show a maximum APR "calculated consistently with the Truth in Lending Act (TILA)," the US credit-disclosure law. No loan may require full repayment within 60 days.
Every app needs the Financial features declaration, even one with no financial features, and since October 30, 2025, Google blocks updates until it's done (Google policy announcement). Some countries also set rules for the description. India wants "the names of all registered NBFCs and banks" disclosed, and the Philippines wants the PSEC registration number and Certificate of Authority. Thailand asks for "Maximum interest rates and all fees" to be shown. Put these lines in country-targeted custom store listings, so other markets stay clean.
Google reframed its earned wage access (EWA) rules on July 15, 2026: EWA apps must disclose repayment terms, "All fees, including subscription fees," and a representative total cost.
Crypto exchanges and wallets
Crypto exchanges and software wallets need a licence in each listed market, or you "remove them from your app's targeting countries/regions" (Google Play Console Help). On September 28, 2026, we counted 13 countries and regions on Google's list, plus all 27 EU states under MiCA's crypto-asset service provider (CASP) authorisation. Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway are marked "Starting July 2026" on the same page. So your storefront list is a compliance statement: build it from the licence map, then localize. Tokenized-asset apps face one more limit: they "may not promote or glamorize any potential earning" (Blockchain-based Content).
Apple and Google side by side
Google's Metadata policy bans ranking, price or promotional claims in the title, icon or developer name, which rules out "#1" and "$50 cash back" there. The table below shows how the two stores differ on finance.
| Rule | Apple App Store | Google Play |
|---|---|---|
| Who submits | A legal entity; the financial institution for trading and money management | An account linked to "any provided licenses" |
| Loan APR cap | Not "higher than 36%," fees included, worldwide | US: barred at "36% or higher," TILA APR |
| Repayment floor | No full repayment in 60 days or less | Same; limited Pakistan exceptions |
| Where loan terms go | "clearly and conspicuously"; place unspecified | "in the app metadata" |
| Crypto exchanges | Only where licensed | 13 listed markets plus the EU, or drop the market |
Apple bars a maximum APR "higher than 36%" (3.2.2(ix)). Google bars US loans where the APR "is 36% or higher" (Financial Services). So a US loan app at exactly 36.00% APR passes Apple's wording and fails Google's. The bases differ too. Apple counts "costs and fees," while Google points to TILA. We compared both live texts on September 28, 2026. Ask counsel how your APR is computed.
When does a store listing count as a financial promotion?
A store listing can count as a financial promotion. The store won't tell you when it does. The FCA calls its definition "intentionally very broad," and it covers "websites, blog posts, mobile phone apps" (FCA, updated 2026). In the US, FINRA treats electronic communications available to "more than 25 retail investors within any 30 calendar-day period" as retail (FINRA Rule 2210).
Neither text names store listings. Treating a listing as a promotion is our reading, so confirm it with counsel. In the UK, a financial promotion is an invitation or inducement to invest, and it needn't target the UK to be "capable of having an effect in the UK" (FCA).
UK rules
Promotions must be fair, clear and not misleading. For cryptoassets, the FCA has prescribed a "prominent" risk warning since October 8, 2023 (COBS 4.12A.36R). Its guidance says the warning shouldn't sit "at the bottom of the promotion" (4.12A.39G), and the FCA also bans incentives, even for "registration or sign-up" (4.12A.7R). And it enforces. In 2024, FCA intervention got 19,766 promotions amended or withdrawn, up 97.5% from 10,008 (FCA, February 7, 2025).
US rules
Which rules apply depends on your licence:
- Broker-dealers (FINRA 2210): "fair and balanced," nothing "promissory," no performance projections.
- Advisers (SEC Marketing Rule): "fair and balanced treatment of any material risks."
- Credit (Regulation Z): rates as an "annual percentage rate."
- Deposits (Regulation DD): rates as the "annual percentage yield." It reaches "any person who advertises an account." Its electronic-media exemption "does not extend to advertisements posted on the Internet" (CFPB commentary).
- FDIC (12 CFR 328.102): a tie to an insured bank must be "clearly, conspicuously, prominently, and accurately described," "regardless of the media or platform." Amendments took effect March 2, 2026 (FDIC, 91 FR 3801).
EU rules
Under MiCA Article 66, crypto firms' marketing must be "fair, clear and not misleading," as in the UK. The transition ended July 1, 2026, and unauthorised CASPs "must cease offering such services" (ESMA, April 17, 2026).
Consumer credit is next. That includes many buy now, pay later products. From November 20, 2026, CCD2 has member states require "Caution! Borrowing money costs money" (or equivalent wording) in credit ads. They must also ban claims that registered credit has "little or no influence" on a credit assessment (Directive (EU) 2023/2225, Art. 8). The European Commission still listed that date on September 28, 2026, but national rules may differ, so check each market's transposition.
| Claim | Companion disclosure | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| "Earn 4.50%" on deposits (US) | "Annual percentage yield," an as-of date, "fees could reduce the earnings" | Reg DD 1030.8(b)–(c) |
| "12 payments of $50" (US) | The APR and full repayment terms | Reg Z 1026.24(d) |
| "Banking by Northwind" (US) | Partner bank's name and Member FDIC | 12 CFR 328.102 |
| "Buy Bitcoin" (UK) | FCA risk warning; no sign-up incentive | COBS 4.12A.11R, 4.12A.7R |
| Any EU credit ad | "Caution! Borrowing money costs money" | CCD2 Art. 8 (from Nov 20, 2026) |
What can each field say? The do/don't table
Keep regulated claims (rates, returns, bonuses, insurance status, ratings) out of any field too short for their disclosure. Put each disclosure where users see it without a tap. As of 2026, Apple's Guideline 2.3.7 already keeps prices out of names, subtitles, screenshots and previews (Apple). The examples below use Northwind, a fictional brand.
| Field | Do | Don't | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| App name / title30 characters, both stores | Brand plus plain category: "Northwind: Budget & Bills"; seller name = licensed entity | Rates, prices, "#1," "Best," "Guaranteed"; another company's brand; "FDIC" in a non-bank's name | Apple 2.3.7, 4.1(c), 5.1.1(ix); Google Metadata; 12 CFR 328.102(a)(1) |
| Subtitle / short descriptionApple 30; Google 80 | Claims needing no disclosure: "Track every account in one place" | "Earn 4.5%," "Highest APY," "No credit check," "0% fees" | Apple 2.3.7; Reg DD 1030.8(b); CCD2 Art. 8(7)(b) (from Nov 20, 2026) |
| Description4,000 characters, both stores | Required disclosures in the opening lines: loan terms, partner-bank line, licence details | Warnings buried at the end; unattributed testimonials; projections | Google Financial Services, Metadata; COBS 4.12A.39G; FINRA 2210(d)(1)(F) |
| Screenshots and previews | Fictional data; a rate's disclosure in the same frame ("4.50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) as of Sep 1, 2026. Fees could reduce earnings.") | Real balances; "$10k → $48k" curves; "Get £10 of BTC free"; prices in captions | Apple 2.3.7, 2.3.9, 3.1.5(v); FINRA 2210(d)(1)(F); COBS 4.12A.7R |
| Promotional textApple 170, no review | Paid-ad sign-off; dated, fully disclosed offers; archived versions | Bonus rates without conditions; UK crypto sign-up incentives | Reg DD 1030.8(d); COBS 4.12A.7R; Apple 2.3.1(a) |
| Ratings and reviews | Your real rating with store, count and date | "Rated #1 finance app"; paid or gated reviews; undisclosed testimonials | Apple 5.6.1, 5.6.3; 16 CFR 465; SEC 206(4)-1 (advisers; ask counsel); FINRA 2210(d)(6) |
Two more Apple rules apply. Keywords can't include "trademarked terms, popular app names" (2.3.7), and What's New must describe the changes (2.3.12). Is "$0 commission" a price? Apple doesn't say. We treat it as one. For limits, see every field's character limit and our guide to writing the title itself.
You can change promotional text "without requiring an updated submission" (App Store Connect Help), so growth teams use it for short-term offers. It skips App Review, not the regulator. A bonus-rate tweak there can be a financial promotion that nobody outside your company reviewed (our reading; ask counsel). Give it the same sign-off as a paid ad.
Which mandatory disclosures actually fit in each field?
Almost none fit the short fields. In our September 28, 2026 count, the FCA's crypto risk warning runs 167 characters, the CCD2 credit warning 36 and MiCA's offeror statement 261. Apple's name and subtitle hold 30 each, and Google's short description holds 80 (FCA COBS 4.12A.11R; App Store Connect Help). So a claim goes only where its disclosure can go.
Will the warning fit? Disclosure length vs field limits
The full FCA warning fits promotional text with 3 characters to spare, if nothing else is there. With its "Take 2 mins to learn more" link text, it runs to 193. Only the description can hold that. A 69-character short form applies where the full one "exceeds the number of characters permitted by a third-party marketing provider" (4.12A.11R). Ask counsel whether an app store counts as one.
Formatting is a counsel question too. The warning needs "its own border" and "bold and underlined text" (4.12A.36R), yet App Store descriptions are plain text ("HTML format isn't supported"). A screenshot frame can carry a border. A description can't.
A disclosure in the description also isn't "in" screenshot 1. The FTC's reviews rule wants online disclosures to be "unavoidable" (16 CFR 465.1(c)(4)), a sensible bar even where the rule doesn't apply. Localize each disclosure along with its claim. Then check a disclosure against each field's limit and see what shows above the fold.
What can you claim about ratings, reviews and testimonials?
Show your real rating. Regulator rules set its context. Both stores police reviews at scale. In 2025, Apple blocked "close to 195 million fraudulent ratings and reviews" of over 1.3 billion processed (Apple Newsroom, May 20, 2026). Google blocked "160 million spam ratings and reviews" in the same year (Google, February 19, 2026).
Fake and spam ratings and reviews blocked in 2025
The FTC's reviews rule, in force in the US since October 21, 2024, bans fake reviews, incentives that depend on a review's sentiment, and review suppression (16 CFR Part 465). Apple requires its own API for rating prompts (5.6.1) and bars "Manipulating any element of the App Store customer experience such as charts, search, reviews" (5.6.3).
Advisers face an open question. The SEC Marketing Rule defines a third-party rating as "a rating or ranking of an investment adviser" by an unrelated rater. Quoting one means disclosing "the date on which the rating was given," the period it covers and the rater (17 CFR 275.206(4)-1(c)). Whether an App Store star rating counts is a question to take to counsel.
Broker-dealer testimonials must say they "may not be representative" and whether over $100 was paid (FINRA 2210(d)(6)). Never confirm account details in a public reply, either. Our guide to review management and fake-review rules covers the workflow, and AI review summaries on your product page add one more surface to watch. Ratings and reviews management is how we run it for clients.
How do you ship listing changes without a rejection or a regulator letter?
Treat the listing as a regulated communication with an owner, a sign-off and an archive, then give reviewers what they need to verify you. Rejections aren't final. In 2025, Apple approved 387,087 App Store submissions after a rejection (Apple Transparency Report). Our sign-off runs in six steps.
- Map licences to storefronts. Entity, regulator, licence number and products per country; storefronts follow.
- Submit as the licensed entity. Match Apple's seller and Google's developer account to it.
- Pre-clear a claims library: approved phrasings plus disclosures, per market and language.
- Sign off every variant and keep dated copies; ask counsel which record-keeping rules apply.
- Brief the reviewers. Licences in Notes for Review, a fictional demo account (2.3.9), Google's forms done.
- Re-check when rules move: Apple Developer News, Google's policy announcements.
Custom product pages, custom store listings, experiment treatments and in-app event cards are each a separate public communication, so each A/B test treatment can be a new promotion (ask counsel). Sign each one off and keep the record.
The dates that shape a finance listing, 2023 to 2027
Two dates are still ahead: November 20, 2026 and April 1, 2027. We'll update this guide after November 20. For the rest of the listing, run a full metadata audit or start with our fixed-price ASO audit.
Frequently asked questions
Can a crypto app be on the App Store?
Yes, with conditions. Wallets must come from developers "enrolled as an organization." Exchanges may list only where licensed. A legal entity, not an individual, should submit the app (Apple Guidelines 3.1.5 and 5.1.1(ix), last updated June 8, 2026). On-device mining isn't allowed.
Why do finance apps get rejected by Apple?
The causes unique to finance are the submitter and licences. Trading and money-management apps should be "submitted by the financial institution performing such services" (3.2.1(viii)). Then comes the listing itself: prices or unverifiable claims (2.3.7) and real customer data in screenshots (2.3.9). Apple rejected 2,093,244 submissions in 2025.
Do loan apps have to show the APR in the store listing?
On Google Play, yes. Three items go "in the app metadata": the repayment period range, the maximum APR and a representative total-cost example. US loans can't reach 36% APR. Apple requires loan apps to "clearly and conspicuously disclose all loan terms" (3.2.2(ix)). Its APR cap is 36%, including costs and fees.
Is an App Store listing a financial promotion?
It can be. The FCA calls its definition "intentionally very broad," and it covers apps. It also reaches promotions "capable of having an effect in the UK" (FCA guidance). In the US, FINRA treats communications available to over 25 retail investors in 30 days as retail. Neither names store listings, so confirm your case with counsel.
Can a finance app show its App Store rating in screenshots?
In general, yes. Use your real, current rating, with the store and date. Google bans ranking claims like "#1" in the title, icon and developer name. US advisers should ask counsel whether SEC third-party-rating disclosures apply. Apple blocked close to 195 million fraudulent ratings and reviews in 2025.
Can a fintech say "FDIC insured" in its app description?
Only accurately. FDIC rules bar implying that a non-bank is FDIC-insured. Any association with an insured bank must be "clearly, conspicuously, prominently, and accurately described," "regardless of the media or platform" (12 CFR 328.102). Our sample wording: "Banking services provided by Partner Bank, N.A., Member FDIC."
The bottom line
Finance app store review guidelines and promotion rules don't stop a listing from converting. They decide where each claim sits: next to its disclosure.
- Submit as the licensed entity and list only where licensed.
- No rates or bonuses in 30-character fields; disclosures go in the frame or first lines.
- Promotional text skips App Review, not regulators.
- Dates: MiCA's transition ended July 1, 2026; CCD2 applies November 20, 2026.
This isn't legal advice; have counsel sign off listing copy. Check your fields in the free Metadata Character Counter and Store Page Preview, then book a free 30-minute call. We'll audit your finance listing field by field and build tests compliance can approve, usually starting with the fixed-price ASO audit (how we work with regulated apps).
