Google Ads Brings Financial Services Verification to the US and Canada in Early 2027

Google will extend its Financial Services Verification programme to the United States and Canada in early 2027. Keerat Sharma, VP and General Manager for Ads Privacy and Safety, announced the plan on 20 October.

The rule is straightforward: advertisers must show they are authorised by the relevant regulators or recognised registries before running certain financial ads. Google says the goal is to stop brand impersonation and keep bad actors away from people looking for things like a checking account or a credit card.

The numbers Google gives

• More than 97% of the ads people see on Google in the US and Canada already come from identity-verified advertisers (Google internal data, 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026).
• The existing programme covers about 2 billion internet users across 42 countries, which Google calls the broadest of its kind.
• In 2025, Gemini helped Google's systems catch over 99% of policy-violating ads before they served.

Those figures are Google's own and unaudited, so read them as claims rather than independent measurement.

What is changing

Identity verification stays as the first check. Financial Services Verification adds a second, specialised check on an advertiser's credentials. Google says it was the first major platform to require this, starting in the UK in 2021, and has most recently expanded across the European Union.

For the US and Canada, Google is working with banking bodies:

• United States: the American Bankers Association, whose registry Google will use to verify authorised banks before their ads run.
• Canada: the Canadian Bankers Association, which Google says it is "engaging closely" with ahead of rollout.

Because regulation differs between countries, Google is adapting the approach for each one through a phased implementation.

What advertisers can expect

Google says it will publish country-specific information ahead of the rollout, including accepted registries, required credentials and onboarding instructions. Once verification opens, advertisers "will be notified if and when they need to complete the process," and that happens before policy enforcement begins.

What Google hasn't said

The post doesn't define which financial ads are in scope. "Certain financial ads" could mean banking and credit products only, or reach further into areas like investing, insurance or lending. It also gives no start date narrower than "early 2027," and doesn't say what happens to unverified accounts when enforcement begins.

What to do if you advertise financial products

• Work out whether you are likely in scope. If your business needs a licence or registration to operate, assume you may be.
• Gather your credentials now. Google hasn't listed the required credentials yet, but registration numbers and regulator listings are the likely starting point.
• Check who holds the account. Verification will be about the regulated entity, so confirm the Google Ads account sits with the right one.
• Watch for Google's country-specific guidance. That page, not this summary, will list the registries and steps.

Sources

• Google: Expanding our defenses against financial scam ads (20 October 2026)