Kim Kardashian slammed by UK's regulator for 'promoting untested cryptocurrency'

Reality star Kim Kardashian has reportedly been slammed for promoting an untested cryptocurrency on Instagram by the head of the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Kim Kardashian, according to Charles Randell, had "asked her 250 million followers to speculate on crypto tokens" by promoting an advert for Ethereum Max.

He called it "a speculative digital token created a month before by unknown developers". And he accused influencers of fuelling the "delusions of quick riches".

Speaking to the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, The FCA chairman said Ms Kardashian's Instagram post - which he noted had been correctly flagged as an ad - may have been the "financial promotion with the single biggest audience reach in history".

He added: "I can't say whether this particular token [Ethereum Max] is a scam."

He continued: "But social media influencers are routinely paid by scammers to help them pump and dump new tokens on the back of pure speculation. Some influencers promote coins that turn out simply not to exist at all." 

Randell said about 2.3 million Britons currently hold cryptocurrency and he said 14% of them also use credit to purchase them - "thereby increasing the exposure to loss". 

The chairman said the FCA had repeatedly warned about the risks of holding "speculative tokens", which are not regulated by them or covered by any compensation scheme.

Kim Kardashian has not responded to the accusations yet. Randell warned: "If you buy them, you should be prepared to lose all your money."