Taiwan has blocked domestic access to Coinbase and Kalshi after a New Taipei City court authorized restrictions requested by the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Authorities say the issue is suspected election gambling and possible interference ahead of Taiwan’s Nov. 28, 2026 local elections—not an allegation that either company handled Chinese money.
The order restricts access to the platforms’ websites inside Taiwan. It does not itself establish that Coinbase or Kalshi has been convicted of an offense, or that every service offered by either platform is illegal in Taiwan.
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What Taiwan ordered
The Criminal Investigation Bureau asked a New Taipei City court to authorize website restrictions against Coinbase Global Inc. and Kalshi Inc. The court approved the request, allowing Taiwan’s communications regulator and internet registry to impose the domestic blocks. Some Coinbase users in Taiwan reported losing access on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026.
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A website block is not a criminal conviction
The reported order concerns access from Taiwan. It is an enforcement measure while authorities investigate suspected violations of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act. The court ruling, as described in the current reports, does not say that Coinbase or Kalshi was found guilty, nor does it establish that either company itself operated an illegal gambling scheme.
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The bureau’s stated concerns are election betting, protection of election integrity and prevention of overseas interference. Authorities have not alleged that Coinbase or Kalshi processed or moved funds from China.
Why election betting can trigger criminal penalties
Taiwan’s election law prohibits operating gambling for profit on the outcome of an election or recall. A 2023 amendment also set criminal exposure for people who place such bets. The maximum penalties reported for the relevant conduct are:
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| Conduct | Maximum penalty | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Placing an election or recall bet | Up to six months’ imprisonment | Figure reported in connection with Taiwan’s 2023 amendment |
| Operating gambling for profit based on an election or recall outcome | Up to five years’ imprisonment | Statutory maximum cited in reporting on the election law |
Those are maximum sentences, not automatic punishments. The legal question in an individual case would depend on the person’s conduct, evidence and the specific charges brought by prosecutors.
What Coinbase and Kalshi have to do with the election
The two services are different types of platforms, so treating them as interchangeable would obscure what investigators are examining.
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| Platform | Primary product | Why it appears in Taiwan’s action | Company response in the reported case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coinbase | Cryptocurrency exchange and related digital-asset services | Authorities restricted access while investigating suspected election-betting activity conducted through online services and cryptocurrency. | No immediate response to requests for comment was reported. |
| Kalshi | Event-contract and prediction-market venue | Its market structure can be used to trade contracts tied to event outcomes, including politically sensitive outcomes that Taiwan treats as election gambling. | No immediate response to requests for comment was reported. |
The reported action therefore should not be read as a finding that the exchange and the prediction-market venue performed the same role. Investigators are focused on how users may have used online platforms, digital assets and election-linked markets, rather than announcing a conviction against either company.
Why the timing matters
Taiwan’s local elections on Nov. 28, 2026, will choose mayors, city councilors and village chiefs. They are President Lai Ching-te’s first nationwide electoral test since he took office in 2024 and may provide an early indication of the political landscape before the 2028 presidential election.
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The Criminal Investigation Bureau says election betting can do more than create an unlawful wager. In a July 9, 2026 statement, it wrote: “選舉賭盤不僅涉及賭博犯罪，更可能透過操縱賠率、散布假訊息等方式影響選情與社會秩序，嚴重危害民主制度與選舉公平性。” A faithful English rendering is that election betting involves gambling crime and may influence election sentiment and social order through manipulated odds and the spread of false information, seriously threatening democratic institutions and electoral fairness.
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Taiwan has also blocked Polymarket, described in reporting as Kalshi’s main rival. The broader enforcement effort reflects concern that prediction markets and cryptocurrency rails could be used to create, fund or settle bets tied to the election.
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What earlier investigations revealed
July case involving decentralized markets
In a case reported on July 9, 2026, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said a foreign suspect allegedly opened dozens of decentralized election-betting markets covering Taiwan’s 2026 nine-in-one local elections. Investigators said the suspect used decentralized finance to move stakes and cryptocurrency for placing and settling bets. Prosecutors later issued deferred prosecution under Taiwan’s election-law and gambling provisions.
That case is evidence of the kind of activity authorities are trying to stop. It is not evidence that Coinbase or Kalshi committed the same conduct.
May Polymarket case and the USDC amounts
A May 8, 2026 release from the Qiaotou District Prosecutors Office described a separate investigation involving Polymarket. Prosecutors alleged that the suspect used NordVPN to disguise a Japanese IP address, purchased 9,245.01 USDC and wagered 742.9629 USDC on a market asking which party would win the most seats in Taiwan’s 2026 local elections. Police seized 746.79 USDC.
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What the block means for people in Taiwan
- Access may fail even if an account remains open. The measure targets domestic website access through Taiwan’s communications and internet-registration systems.
- The order does not make every Coinbase activity illegal by definition. It addresses the authorities’ stated investigation into election gambling and related risks.
- Election wagering carries material legal risk. Taiwan’s law provides criminal penalties for bettors and substantially higher maximum penalties for gambling operators.
- Using technical workarounds can create additional evidence. The Qiaotou case specifically described a suspect using a VPN to disguise an overseas IP address; that allegation should not be treated as a general ruling on VPN use.
- No China-funds accusation has been reported. The current account of the action does not allege that Coinbase or Kalshi handled money from China.
For now, the central distinction is between access restriction and adjudicated guilt. Taiwan has used the court-authorized blocks while investigating whether election-linked markets and cryptocurrency transactions enabled conduct prohibited by its election and gambling laws.
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