Crypto apps in 2026: store rules country by country
What Apple and Google require from crypto wallets and exchanges in 2026, how licenses decide where an app is listed, and what that means for campaigns.
A crypto app can be live in one country and absent from the same store in the next one. The reason is usually a license: both stores tie crypto exchanges to local licenses, and Google Play also ties many wallets to registration in a list of countries. This post sums up what Apple and Google require in 2026, what changed this year, and what it means for planning keyword campaigns.
Heads up. This is the state of the rules on October 27, 2026. None of this is legal advice.
App Store: guideline 3.1.5
Apple's App Review Guidelines cover crypto in section 3.1.5. The parts that matter most for marketing:
- Wallets may store virtual currency if the developer is enrolled as an organization.
- Exchanges may only be offered in countries or regions where the app has the licenses and permissions to run one.
- Futures trading and other crypto-securities trading must come from established banks, securities firms, futures commission merchants, or other approved financial institutions.
The third point is worth watching if your wallet adds trading features. A wallet that starts offering futures or perpetuals is no longer judged only as a wallet.
Google Play: a declaration and a country list
Google Play's policy for cryptocurrency exchanges and software wallets works in two steps:
- Declare the app as an exchange or software wallet in the Financial Features Declaration in Play Console.
- For each listed country, prove the registration or license the policy names, or remove that country from your targeting.
The list includes, among others, the United States (FinCEN registration plus state money transmitter registration, or a chartered bank), the UK (FCA registration), Japan (FSA registration), South Korea (a filed VASP report with the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit), and all EU member states (authorization as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA). Since July 2026, developers from Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway with a MiCA authorization can also target the EU.
Worth knowing. Non-custodial wallets are outside the scope of this policy. If your wallet never holds users' keys, these country requirements do not apply to it, although local law still can.
What changed this year
- South Korea, January. Google Play said it would stop listing or updating overseas exchanges and software wallets in Korea from January 28, 2026, unless they had registered as virtual asset service providers, The Block reported. The registration requirement is in Google Play's country list today.
- EU, July. Starting July 2026, Google Play's list covers Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway, with a MiCA authorization required there, and MiCA-authorized developers from these three countries may also target the EU.
- India, September. On September 9, 2026, India's Financial Intelligence Unit issued notices to 15 crypto platforms seeking the takedown of their apps and URLs, The Block reported. The report does not say whether the apps were removed from the stores.
What this means for keyword campaigns
Plan countries from your licenses. A country with strong demand for crypto wallet is worth nothing to a campaign if the app cannot be listed there. Start from the countries where the app is licensed and live, then pick keywords.
Check the listing in each country before you start. Search your app's name in each target country's store. If it is missing in one of them, find out whether that is a licensing gap before you spend anything there.
Watch your own product changes. Adding custody, an exchange, or trading features can move the app into a different set of rules. A change like that can remove countries from your list, and a campaign planned for them stops making sense.
Check your positions when the rules change. If the stores remove apps from a country, check where your app now stands for its terms.
Where Rankforge fits
- Campaigns run only where the app is listed. A keyword campaign needs a store page in that country, so the country list comes from your licenses. Which countries you are allowed in is a question for your lawyer.
- The tracker shows the listing country by country. Add your main keywords for each target country, free and without a card. If the app drops out of one country's results, the chart shows the day.
- Both stores are covered. On the App Store a campaign can run on live installs, made by people. On Google Play our installs are automated and leave no ratings.
Our crypto cases
Two of our case studies are about crypto wallets: three wallets climbing App Store search and a first place held for 46 days on Google Play in the UK. Both are campaigns in countries where the apps were already listed, which is where any crypto campaign has to start.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Google Play require a license for crypto wallets?
- It depends on the wallet. Google Play's policy for cryptocurrency exchanges and software wallets lists license or registration requirements by country. Non-custodial wallets are outside the scope of that policy.
- What does the App Store require from crypto apps?
- Under guideline 3.1.5, wallets must come from developers enrolled as an organization, exchanges may only be offered in countries where the app holds the right licenses, and apps offering crypto futures trading must come from approved financial institutions.
- Can I run a keyword campaign in a country where my crypto app is not listed?
- No. A campaign needs a store page in that country to land on. Plan campaigns only for the countries where the app is licensed and listed.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. The store rules change and local law adds its own requirements. Check your situation with a lawyer who knows the countries you target.