Overview
- Lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan approved the Virtual Asset Service Act on June 30, and the bill has been sent to President Lai Ching-te for formal signing and promulgation.
- The act replaces Taiwan’s AML-registration system with a full licensing regime that makes the Financial Supervisory Commission the gatekeeper for exchanges, custodians, transfer services, lenders and other virtual asset firms.
- Stablecoin issuers must hold 100% reserves in segregated trust accounts at local banks, submit to regular audits, secure approval from both the central bank and the FSC, and may not pay interest on tokens.
- Unauthorized operation now carries penalties of up to seven years in prison and fines up to NT$100 million while fraud and market manipulation face steeper jail terms and fines, and existing VASPs get 12 months to apply and up to 21 months to obtain full approval.
- Regulators will publish detailed sub-rules and have been urged to propose derivatives rules within a year of the law taking effect, a change that market participants say could boost institutional interest but also push smaller, less-compliant firms out of Taiwan.