By PYMNTS | October 20, 2026
Google is bringing to the United States and Canada a Financial Services Verification program that already protects 2 billion internet users in 42 countries from financial scam ads, the company said in a Tuesday (Oct. 20) blog post emailed to PYMNTS.
The program will be implemented in the U.S. and Canada in early 2027 and will build on the identity verification program Google already has for advertisers, according to the release.
Financial Services Verification adds a specialized check to validate an advertiser’s credentials before they run certain financial adds. It requires them to demonstrate they are authorized by relevant regulators or recognized registries, per the release.
We’d love to be your preferred source for news.
Please add us to your preferred sources list so our news, data and interviews show up in your feed. Thanks!
Google introduced this type of verification in the United Kingdom in 2021 and most recently expanded it across Europe, according to the release.
As it extends Financial Services Verification to North America, Google is working with the American Bankers Association in the U.S., the Canadian Bankers Association in Canada and financial regulators in both countries, per the release.
Ahead of the rollout, Google will provide advertisers with country-specific information such as accepted registries, required credentials, onboarding instructions and notification of, if and when they need to complete the process, according to the release.
“Because regulations differ across borders, we’re adapting our approach for each country through a phased implementation, protecting consumers while ensuring legitimate institutions can reach the people they serve,” Keerat Sharma, vice president and general manager, ads privacy and safety at Google, said in the release.
When announcing what later became Financial Services Verification in the U.K. in 2021, Google said that scam advertising on social media and search engines was one of several malicious methods being used by criminal gangs.
PYMNTS reported later in 2021 that Google would require financial services advertisers to show they were authorized by the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority or that they were qualified for one of the exemptions listed on the U.K. Financial Services verification page.
When Google expanded the Financial Services Verification program to 24 countries across Europe in June, rolling it out to every member state in the European Union and European Economic Area, the company said this would build on its advertiser identify verification program that helped block or remove more than 1.6 billion ads in the EU last year.