Taiwan Crypto Restrictions: What You Can and Can't Do in 2025

When it comes to Taiwan crypto restrictions, the regulatory framework that governs how individuals and businesses use, trade, and mine digital assets in Taiwan. Also known as Taiwan cryptocurrency regulations, it's not a ban—it's a tight leash. Unlike China, owning Bitcoin or Ethereum is legal. But if you want to trade, mine, or run an exchange, you're walking through a minefield of rules.

Taiwan's financial regulators, mainly the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), treat crypto as a commodity, not money. That means no crypto payments in stores, no banks handling crypto deposits, and no licensed exchanges offering fiat on-ramps unless they're registered under strict anti-money laundering rules. You can buy Bitcoin on Binance or KuCoin, but you can't use a Taiwanese bank account to deposit New Taiwan Dollars directly. Most locals use peer-to-peer platforms or overseas exchanges with crypto-only deposits. Mining? Technically legal, but electricity costs are high and local power companies won't sell to crypto farms. You won't find large mining operations like in Kazakhstan or the U.S.—just a few hobbyists running rigs in basements.

The real crackdown is on unregistered platforms. In 2024, Taiwan shut down three local crypto exchanges for operating without licenses. If you're using a platform that doesn't show a Taiwan FSC registration number, you're at risk. And if you lose money? Good luck getting it back—Taiwanese courts won't enforce crypto-related contracts. That's why most users stick to well-known global exchanges and avoid anything that sounds like a local "coin" or "token" project. Even airdrops are risky: if you claim tokens from a site that doesn't clearly link to a foreign entity, you could be caught in a phishing trap with no legal backup.

What about taxes? Taiwan doesn't tax personal crypto gains if you're not trading daily. But if you're buying and selling frequently—say, more than 10 times a month—you might be classified as a business. That triggers income tax, and the tax office has started auditing wallet addresses linked to high-volume trading. No one's been fined yet, but the warnings are clear: keep records, don't hide transactions, and don't assume anonymity protects you.

There's no official ban on crypto mining, but it's practically impossible to scale. Taiwan's power grid is already stretched thin, and the government won't approve new energy contracts for crypto farms. Even if you could get the power, the cost is double what it is in Georgia or Texas. So mining here is either a hobby or a loss-maker. Same goes for DeFi—no local platforms offer staking or lending with fiat support. You can use MetaMask and connect to Ethereum or Solana, but you're on your own if something goes wrong.

What you'll find below are real stories from people who've tried to navigate this system. Some got burned by fake exchanges pretending to be Taiwan-approved. Others lost money on tokens that vanished overnight. A few found legal ways to trade without breaking rules. These aren't theoretical guides—they're lessons from the front lines. Whether you're living in Taipei or just sending crypto to a friend there, this collection shows you what actually works—and what gets you flagged by regulators.