Taiwan blocks Coinbase and Kalshi websites over suspected election betting

Taiwan has blocked domestic web access to Coinbase and Kalshi after a New Taipei court authorized the communications regulator and internet registry to act over suspected election betting. The restrictions came about six weeks before local elections on Nov. 28, in which voters will elect mayors, city councillors and village chiefs.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau sought the orders on the grounds that the sites could violate the Public Officials Election and Recall Act. The law prohibits operating a for-profit gambling business based on the outcome of an election or recall, and the bureau said the action was needed to protect election integrity and prevent “overseas interference.”

The court order targeted the companies’ websites, rather than being described as an account freeze or global shutdown. Some Coinbase users in Taiwan began reporting access problems on Oct. 14, and visitors were redirected to a notice citing the court order and case number 115年度聲扣字第55號. Reports indicated that Coinbase’s mobile app remained accessible to at least some users, although the scope of any effect on other apps or services was not confirmed.

Coinbase said it was aware that some users in Taiwan could not reach its website and was investigating. Kalshi said it does not allow trading in Taiwan. Coinbase is a Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange that also offers prediction-style contract trading in some jurisdictions, while Kalshi is a U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission-regulated event-contract exchange serving users in the United States.

Taiwanese authorities have warned that funds from mainland China could move through underground financial channels to influence elections, amid a wider pre-election focus on illicit financial flows and underground gambling. They did not allege that Coinbase or Kalshi handled such funds.

A 2023 amendment increased the potential punishment for election betting: bettors can face up to six months in prison and gambling operators up to five years. Taiwan had already blocked Polymarket, a rival prediction-market platform, as it increased enforcement against election wagering.

The Nov. 28 vote will be the first island-wide electoral test for President Lai Ching-te since he took office in 2024, and could offer an indication of the political landscape before the 2028 presidential election. No end date or sunset clause for the Coinbase and Kalshi restrictions had been published as of Oct. 17.