Preparing for Taiwan's 2026 nine-in-one elections? The Control Yuan plans to ban cryptocurrencies and tipping as political donations

In response to the 2026 Nine-in-One Elections, the Control Yuan is considering legislation to prohibit the use of cryptocurrencies and online “tipping” as political donations due to difficulties in verifying donors and price volatility, and the draft is currently under review by the Executive Yuan.

The 2026 Nine-in-One Elections are approaching, proposing bans on cryptocurrencies and online tipping

Taiwan’s 2026 end-of-year Nine-in-One Elections are coming up. Zhao Yongqing, the convener of the Control Yuan’s Integrity Committee, and Chen Meiyan, the head of the Property Declaration Office, held a press conference today (4/21), revealing plans to amend laws to ban cryptocurrencies and online tipping as political donations.

According to Central News Agency reports, Chen Meiyan stated that after multiple reviews by the Executive Yuan, due to difficulties in verifying donors, the revised draft proposes banning the use of cryptocurrencies and online tipping for political donations.

Regarding cryptocurrencies, Chen Meiyan explained that because of their high price volatility, they are unsuitable for paying expenses, and since cryptocurrencies are decentralized, it is also more difficult to verify donors, so the draft leans toward banning them.

Banning tipping on platforms like YouTube is also due to the difficulty in verifying donors, and because tipping involves revenue sharing that is hard to define. If YouTubers or live streamers run for office, it would also be difficult to distinguish the source of funds.

Supervisory Committee points out concerns with the political donation system

Zhao Yongqing also pointed out concerns about the political donation system during the press conference. He observed that some recipients have income exceeding their expenses. If this situation persists, it raises the question of whether the government should provide campaign expense subsidies.

Additionally, some media outlets or online influencers produce political donation rankings, comparing corporate donations to candidates, which could lead large companies to become more cautious or shift to underground channels, and foreign forces might also target companies for retaliation.

Zhao Yongqing urged candidates to comply with regulations, warning that establishing unauthorized accounts will be transferred for investigation, and to pay attention to whether they violate limits or involve foreign funds.

Foreign funds infiltration has precedents; candidate received Thai Tether (泰達幣)

Cryptocurrency involvement in elections is not new. 《Public Television News》 previously reported that, during Taiwan’s 2024 general election, independent candidate Ma Zhiwei was suspected of accepting over 1 million Taiwan dollars worth of Chinese Tether (泰達幣) funding, and was detained by court under anti-infiltration laws.

The Control Yuan’s press release today also revealed that in 2022, a total of 129 cases of political donation violations were processed in local elections, with fines totaling NT$25,017,115. Among these, 40 cases involved illegal foreign funds, with fines of NT$6,469,515; 48 cases involved donations exceeding limits, with fines of NT$8,634,500. Compared to 82 cases in 2018, the number of violations has significantly increased.

The Executive Yuan continues to review the draft, urging proper use of declaration systems to avoid legal violations

However, Chen Meiyan also emphasized that the draft to ban cryptocurrencies and online tipping for political donations is still under review, and will be finalized after approval by the Executive Yuan.

The Control Yuan’s press release also reminded that from April 25, candidates for directly elected mayors, county and city mayors, and councilors planning to run can accept donations after establishing authorized accounts. The Control Yuan urges candidates to make full use of the online political donation declaration system to verify the source of funds and avoid penalties for accepting illegal donations.

Further reading:
CTi News anchor detained! Mirror Weekly: Lin Chenyou’s account shows abnormal transactions, including the appearance of Tether?

Selling Taiwan for 8,000 Tether! Military officer re-shoots classified info to “good-sounding” Chinese individuals