EU Fines Google €890 Million as Google Play Ruling Could Benefit Brokers and Crypto Apps

The European
Commission fined Google a total of €890 million today (Thursday) for breaching
the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. The penalties include a €430 million
fine over Google Play and a €460 million fine over Google’s treatment of
competing services in Search.

The Google Play
decision could have implications for fintech companies, brokers and
cryptocurrency exchanges that use Android applications to acquire and retain
customers. The Commission said Google prevented app developers from directing
users free of charge to cheaper offers available through rival app stores or
their own websites.

The latest decision follows the EU’s push
to reshape app store competition after previously
scrutinising Apple’s App Store policies under the Digital Markets Act.

Google Play Changes Could Aid Fintechs

According to the
regulator, Google must stop restricting developers from steering users to
alternative purchasing channels. The company has 60 days to comply with the
decision.

The ruling could give
digital financial services providers greater flexibility in how they
communicate payment options for subscription products, premium trading tools
and other paid services outside Google’s app marketplace.
Directing users to external payment options could help companies avoid Google
Play’s billing system in some cases.

The Commission said
Google has already proposed changes to its Google Play steering terms,
describing them as “good progress towards compliance.” It added that
the proposed measures will continue to be assessed as discussions with the
company continue.

⚠️ We have fined Google €890 million for breaching the Digital Markets Act, by promoting their own services and restricting customer access to alternatives on Google Search and Google Play.https://t.co/zFChIQxKua pic.twitter.com/QTqdpS6dyY

— European Commission (@EU_Commission) July 23, 2026

EU Extends DMA Focus Toward AI

Despite the fines, the
Commission said Google’s ongoing discussions with regulators and testing of
compliance measures mean additional daily penalty payments are not expected at
this stage.

The Google Play
penalty was announced alongside a separate €460 million fine over Google’s
Search practices. The Commission said the company had treated its own services
more favourably than competing offerings in search results, breaching the DMA.

These are Google’s
first fines under the Digital Markets Act. They are also the company’s fifth
and sixth major EU antitrust penalties, bringing its total competition fines in
Europe to €10.38 billion over nearly two decades.

The Commission also
said the principles behind today’s decisions could eventually apply to Google’s
AI-powered Search products, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, as discussions
with the company continue.

This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.