New Taipei court orders Taiwan to block Coinbase and Kalshi over suspected election betting
A New Taipei court ordered Taiwan's communications regulator and internet registry to block Coinbase and Kalshi at the Criminal Investigation Bureau's request over suspected election betting.
Why it matters
The order extends Taiwan's election law to the access layer, so a prediction-market listing on a local race can be shut off without any criminal finding against the operator. The gap between Kalshi's stated Taiwan restriction and its reported Taipei mayoral market is the specific exposure the Criminal Investigation Bureau acted on, and neither company has said how long the block will last.
Where the sources disagree
Kalshi's actual exposure to Taiwan
Trading is not available in Taiwan and the country is listed as a restricted jurisdiction
Crypto.News, CryptoPotato, Bitcoin.com News
A Taipei mayor market is running with about 198,000 contracts
Bitcoin.com News
Kalshi says it does not permit trading in Taiwan and lists the country as restricted, yet a market on the Taipei mayoral race is reported to be running with about 198,000 contracts.
Whether Coinbase and Kalshi jointly offer election contracts
Coinbase works with Kalshi to offer prediction market contracts, including contracts reportedly tied to Taiwanese local races
TheNewsCrypto
Kalshi operates event-based contracts and Coinbase a wider set of cryptocurrency services, with no joint product described
Bitcoinist
TheNewsCrypto reports a working relationship between the two companies on election contracts, including ones reportedly tied to Taiwanese races, while Bitcoinist treats their products as separate and no other outlet in the set describes the arrangement.
Date the court order was reported
Court order reported on October 15
Bitcoin.com News, CryptoPotato
New Taipei court ruling reported on October 16
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net), Crypto.News
Outlets differ on when the order surfaced publicly, with some citing a Bloomberg report from October 15 and others dating the ruling report to October 16.
Key facts
A New Taipei District Court authorized Taiwan's communications regulator and internet registry to block domestic access to Coinbase and Kalshi.
Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau requested the order over suspected violations of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act.
Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Some Coinbase users in Taiwan reported losing access to the website on October 14.
Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Taiwan's local elections are scheduled for November 28, 2026, covering mayors, councillors and village chiefs.
Reported by Crypto.News
Kalshi told reporters that it does not allow trading in Taiwan.
Reported by Crypto.News
Kalshi lists Taiwan as a restricted jurisdiction while running a Taipei mayor market with about 198,000 contracts.
198,000 contractsDisputed figureReported by Bitcoin.com News
What happened
A New Taipei District Court authorized Taiwan's communications regulator and internet registry to block domestic access to the Coinbase website and the Kalshi prediction market, after the Criminal Investigation Bureau sought the order over suspected violations of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act. Coinbase users in Taiwan have seen a block page citing the criminal ruling since October 14, six weeks before the November 28 local elections, where voters pick mayors, councillors and village chiefs in the first island-wide test of President Lai Ching-te's government since he took office in 2024. Kalshi said it does not allow trading in Taiwan and lists the country as a restricted jurisdiction, while Bitcoin.com News reports that it nonetheless runs a Taipei mayor market with about 198,000 contracts. TheNewsCrypto, on its own, says Coinbase works with Kalshi on election contracts including contracts reportedly tied to Taiwanese races; no other outlet in this set describes such a partnership, and Bitcoinist presents Kalshi's event contracts and Coinbase's crypto services as separate products. The bureau said it wanted to protect election integrity and prevent 'overseas interference' but gave no further detail, and authorities have not accused either company of handling money from mainland China. The order restricts access rather than establishing a breach of law, and election-betting enforcement in Taiwan predates it: in April the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office opened an investigation into crypto bets on local races placed through Polymarket.
How the story developed
- Update
Coinbase users in Taiwan begin losing website access
Users started seeing a block page citing a New Taipei District Court criminal ruling under the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, according to tests by BlockTempo.
- Update
Bloomberg reports the blocking order
Bloomberg reported the court authorized the telecoms regulator and internet registry to block both sites, and the bureau said it wanted to protect election integrity and prevent overseas interference.
- First report
First report by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Taiwan blocks Kalshi and Coinbase websites over suspected election betting
- Update
Taoyuan prosecutors open an investigation into Polymarket election bets
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office said it began investigating public use of cryptocurrency to bet on Taiwanese local election outcomes on Polymarket, an earlier action separate from the court order.
- Update
Crypto outlets detail the order and the statute
Outlets reported the Criminal Investigation Bureau request and set out the penalties under the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, including a prior Polymarket investigation by Taoyuan prosecutors.
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Crypto.News
Taiwan blocks Coinbase, Kalshi over election betting fears
- Official statement
Coinbase and Kalshi respond
Coinbase said it was aware some users in Taiwan could not reach the site and was investigating; Kalshi said it does not allow trading in Taiwan.
- Official statement
Official statement from Bitcoin.com News
Taiwan Blocks Coinbase and Kalshi Over Bets on Its November Elections
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 16 Oct 2026, 03:27 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 16 Oct 2026, 05:36 UTC: Crypto.News — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 16 Oct 2026, 05:39 UTC: Bitcoin Insider — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 16 Oct 2026, 06:43 UTC: CoinGape — 4 independent sources, 4 reports
- 16 Oct 2026, 11:01 UTC: TheNewsCrypto — 5 independent sources, 5 reports
- 16 Oct 2026, 18:35 UTC: Bitcoin.com News, official — 6 independent sources, 6 reports
- 16 Oct 2026, 22:05 UTC: CryptoPotato — 7 independent sources, 7 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: USD Coin, Bitcoin, Chainlink
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin.com News Company, official | Taiwan Blocks Coinbase and Kalshi Over Bets on Its November Elections | Independent | |
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | Taiwan blocks Kalshi and Coinbase websites over suspected election betting | Original | |
| Crypto.News Crypto media | Taiwan blocks Coinbase, Kalshi over election betting fears | Independent | |
| CryptoPotato Crypto media | Taiwan Cuts Off Coinbase and Kalshi Weeks Before Local Vote: Report | Independent | |
| CoinGape Crypto media | Taiwan Court Orders Website Blocks on Coinbase and Kalshi Over Suspected Election Betting | Independent | |
| Bitcoinist Crypto media | Taiwan Blocks Coinbase And Kalshi Websites Over Election Betting Concerns | Independent | |
| TheNewsCrypto Crypto media | Coinbase and Kalshi Hit With Access Restrictions in Taiwan Over Election Betting | Syndicated | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | Kalshi and Coinbase Websites Blocked in Taiwan Amid Election Betting Probe | Syndicated |
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