Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency Regulation in Taiwan

Yes. Owning, buying, selling and using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is legal for individuals in Taiwan. There is no ban on holding or trading digital assets, and a sizeable local market of registered exchanges and over-the-counter (OTC) dealers operates openly.

What crypto is not is legal tender. Taiwan's Central Bank and the FSC have consistently stated that Bitcoin and similar tokens are not currency; the official framing treats them as a highly speculative digital virtual commodity rather than money. In practice that means:

• You can legally hold and trade crypto, but no merchant is obliged to accept it, and it cannot be used to settle debts the way the New Taiwan dollar (NTD) can.
• Crypto sits outside the deposit-insurance and consumer-protection safety nets that cover bank accounts.
• Because gains can have tax consequences, you may need to declare profits as income (see the taxation section below).

Authorities have also restricted banks and card acquirers from facilitating some crypto purchases. Those measures shape how Taiwanese users fund their accounts but do not make personal ownership illegal.

The lead regulator for virtual assets is the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), Taiwan's integrated financial regulator. Within the FSC, the Securities and Futures Bureau (SFB) handles much of the day-to-day VASP supervision, including the anti-money-laundering registration regime and the list of registered providers.

Two other bodies share responsibility:

• The Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan), or CBC, addresses currency, monetary and foreign-exchange matters. It must be consulted on stablecoin issuance under the draft licensing law.
• The Ministry of Finance and its National Taxation Bureaus handle the tax treatment of crypto gains.

Official sources: the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), the Securities and Futures Bureau VASP page, and the Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Taiwan's regime currently rests on three pillars, with a fourth (comprehensive licensing) on the way.

Anti-money-laundering law for VASPs

The Money Laundering Control Act was amended and promulgated on 31 July 2024. Its amended Article 6 requires any business or individual providing virtual asset services to complete AML registration with the competent authority (the FSC) before offering those services. Operating a VASP without the required registration can carry up to two years' imprisonment and a fine of up to NT$5 million.

VASP registration and AML/CFT regulations

On 26 November 2024 the FSC released the Regulations Governing AML Registration for VASPs and revised the related AML/CFT regulations. These categorise VASPs into types and impose KYC, transaction-monitoring, recordkeeping and internal-control obligations.

Securities law and token offerings

Tokens with the characteristics of an investment can be treated as securities under the Securities and Exchange Act. Taiwan has a dedicated security token offering (STO) framework with a lighter-touch tier for smaller raises and a regulatory-sandbox route for larger ones.

The draft Virtual Asset Service Act

The FSC announced a draft Virtual Asset Service Act for public consultation on 25 March 2025 and submitted it to the Executive Yuan for review in mid-2025. Once enacted it is expected to replace the current registration approach with a formal licensing regime. The draft and its sub-rules are still being finalised in 2026, so the specifics may change; verify the latest status with the FSC.

The single most important rule for crypto businesses in Taiwan today is mandatory AML registration. Under the timeline the FSC set, VASPs that had already filed an earlier AML declaration had to apply for AML registration by 31 March 2025 and complete it before 30 September 2025. New entrants must complete AML registration with the FSC before commencing operations, and offshore platforms targeting Taiwanese users are expected to establish a local company or branch and register as well.

The FSC and its Securities and Futures Bureau publish the list of registered VASPs. By around September 2025, a small group of enterprises had completed registration, including names such as BitoPro, XREX and KryptoGO. You can check current registration status on the SFB virtual asset services page.

Looking ahead, the draft Virtual Asset Service Act would add a full licensing layer on top of AML registration: incorporation as a company limited by shares, minimum capital, operational guarantee bonds, fit-and-proper requirements for responsible persons, segregation of customer assets from the firm's own assets, and mandatory membership of an industry self-regulatory association. These provisions are proposed and not yet law.

Taiwan does not yet have a standalone statute dedicated to crypto taxation, so gains are taxed under the existing income-tax framework. In a written report to the Legislative Yuan's Finance Committee in January 2025, the Ministry of Finance confirmed that individual profits from crypto trading should be reported as property (capital gains) income under Article 14, Paragraph 1, Item 7 of the Income Tax Act, calculated as proceeds minus cost and related expenses and then included in your annual consolidated income tax.

Practical points to understand:

• Crypto is not tax-free. Tax authorities have pursued unreported crypto income, collecting back taxes and penalties, so reporting matters.
• Treatment generally depends on whether a taxable disposal has occurred and on your individual circumstances; thresholds for domestic versus overseas income can differ.
• Because the rules are guidance-based rather than a dedicated crypto tax law, and because reforms are under discussion, treatment can change.

For a general primer see our crypto taxes guide, but confirm your specific position with the National Taxation Bureau or a Taiwan tax professional. This is not tax advice.

Anti-money-laundering and know-your-customer obligations are now the backbone of crypto compliance in Taiwan. Registered VASPs must:

• Verify customer identity (KYC). Expect to provide government ID, proof of address and sometimes a selfie or video check before trading or withdrawing.
• Monitor and report. Platforms screen for suspicious activity, file suspicious-transaction and currency-threshold reports, and may ask about the source of funds for larger transactions.
• Keep records and maintain controls. Recordkeeping, internal controls and audit functions are required under the FSC's AML/CFT regulations.

For users, the upshot is that anonymous crypto activity through legitimate Taiwanese channels is effectively gone. Choosing a registered, compliant platform reduces the risk of frozen withdrawals and gives you better recourse if something goes wrong.

A typical, compliant route for a Taiwanese resident looks like this:

• 1. Choose a registered platform. Pick a domestic exchange or OTC dealer that has completed FSC AML registration, or a reputable international exchange that serves Taiwanese users. Verify status on the SFB list.
• 2. Complete KYC. Verify your identity with government ID and any required documents.
• 3. Fund your account. Bank transfers in New Taiwan dollars are the most common on-ramp. Card payments can be limited because of restrictions on acquirers handling crypto, so transfers from a verified bank account in your own name tend to be smoothest.
• 4. Place your order and review fees. Check the spread and fees before confirming.
• 5. Secure your holdings. Enable two-factor authentication; for long-term holdings consider a hardware or self-custody wallet you control.
• 6. Keep records. Save your buy/sell and transfer history for tax reporting.

Crypto ATMs exist in Taiwan but are a small, higher-fee channel; their operators are subject to the same AML and KYC expectations, so anonymous cash-for-crypto kiosks are not the norm. When using any new platform or wallet, start with a small test transfer.

Bitcoin mining is not banned in Taiwan, but the island is not a natural fit for it. Taiwan is densely populated, imports most of its energy, and runs a tightly managed electricity grid that already serves a huge semiconductor and manufacturing sector. Industrial electricity demand and price are sensitive, which makes large-scale, energy-hungry mining commercially difficult compared with regions that have cheap surplus power.

There is interest in pairing blockchain compute with Taiwan's renewable-energy push (solar and offshore wind), but in practice renewables are aimed mainly at decarbonising the grid and supplying industry rather than at crypto mining. Anyone considering mining should check electricity tariffs, grid-connection and zoning rules, and business registration, and remember that mining income is taxable.

The pace of change has been rapid:

• 2024: The Money Laundering Control Act amendment (31 July 2024) introduced mandatory AML registration for VASPs, and the FSC issued the VASP AML registration regulations on 26 November 2024.
• March 2025: The FSC published the draft Virtual Asset Service Act for public consultation (announced 25 March 2025, comments through late May 2025) and later submitted it to the Executive Yuan.
• By September 2025: The AML registration deadline took effect, with a first cohort of registered VASPs published.
• Stablecoins: The FSC and Central Bank have agreed that stablecoin issuance should be restricted to licensed financial institutions and require FSC approval after consultation with the Central Bank. In December 2025 the FSC Chairman indicated Taiwan's first regulated stablecoin could launch as early as mid-2026, depending on the progress of the draft Act.

Because the licensing law is not yet in force, treat any specific licensing or stablecoin requirement as provisional and verify it against current FSC guidance.

The headline risks for Taiwanese users are price volatility, the absence of deposit-style protection, fraud and impersonation scams, and ongoing regulatory change. Custody risk also matters: assets left on an exchange depend on that platform's solvency and security. The draft Virtual Asset Service Act would strengthen protection by requiring segregation of customer assets, but those rules are not yet in force.

To protect yourself: use FSC-registered platforms, enable two-factor authentication, move long-term holdings to a wallet you control, never trust promises of guaranteed returns, and only commit money you can afford to lose. The FSC and police periodically warn about fraudulent OTC dealers and fake platforms; if a deal looks too good to be true, it usually is. None of this is financial advice.

Crypto rules in Taiwan are evolving, so always check the primary sources rather than relying on summaries:

• Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) for the lead regulator's announcements, laws and press releases.
• Securities and Futures Bureau (SFB) virtual asset services page for the VASP AML registration rules and the list of registered providers.
• Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for currency, foreign-exchange and stablecoin-related positions.

For tax questions, consult the Ministry of Finance and your local National Taxation Bureau. You can also explore our broader crypto regulation explainer and the regulation hub for context.

Reminder: this is general information as of 2026, not legal, tax or financial advice. The draft Virtual Asset Service Act is not yet law; verify current rules with the FSC and qualified professionals before acting.

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