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 to ban 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, Director of the Property Declaration Office, held a press conference today (4/21), revealing plans to amend laws to prohibit cryptocurrencies and online tipping as political donations.

According to the Central News Agency, Chen Meiyan stated that after multiple reviews by the Executive Yuan, considering the difficulty in verifying donors, the draft amendment currently proposes to ban the use of cryptocurrencies and online tipping for political donations.

Regarding cryptocurrencies, Chen Meiyan explained that due to their high price volatility, they are unsuitable for paying expenses, and because 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 makes amounts 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 fund infiltration has precedents; candidate received Tether (USDT) in the past

Cryptocurrency involvement in elections is not new. The Public Television News Network 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 (USDT) funding, and was detained by court under anti-infiltration laws.

Today, the Control Yuan issued a press release revealing that in 2022, a total of 129 cases of political donation audits related to local government elections resulted in penalties totaling NT$25,017,115. Among these, violations involving foreign funds amounted to 40 cases with penalties of NT$6,469,515; donations exceeding limits occurred in 48 cases, with penalties of NT$8,635,450. Compared to 82 cases in 2018, the number of penalties 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 as 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 governed municipalities, county and city mayors, and councilors planning to run for office 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.

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