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Overview of cryptocurrency credit cards in Taiwan

In the rapidly changing world of cryptocurrency, seamlessly integrating digital assets with daily life spending is no longer an unattainable dream. The emergence of cryptocurrency credit cards (or more commonly, cryptocurrency debit cards) is gradually changing our payment methods, making Bitcoin, Ethereum, or stablecoins not just cold numbers but convenient tools that can be used for shopping, dining, and even withdrawals.

For cryptocurrency enthusiasts in Taiwan, choosing a suitable cryptocurrency credit card can enhance asset liquidity and potentially enjoy rich spending rewards. However, with so many options on the market, which card is the most suitable for you? This article will deeply analyze several well-known and available cryptocurrency credit cards in Taiwan, as well as review their pros and cons, fee structures, and special features.

What happened?

Chinese fintech giant Ant International plans to cooperate with Circle to introduce the US Dollar stablecoin USDC into its blockchain platform, which is expected to be integrated into Alipay in the future, opening the door for Circle to enter the Chinese market.

Ant Group is actively laying out Web3, and its blockchain platform has partnered with several international banks while planning to introduce CBDC and tokenized assets. In 2024, Ant Group processed over $1 trillion in global transaction volume, with about one-third completed through the blockchain platform.

Although China restricts cryptocurrency trading, stablecoins still have application space. Foreign media analyze that if USDC successfully enters Alipay, it may trigger concerns over financial sovereignty, and the Chinese authorities might impose new regulations to limit its influence in the future.

The founder of the Taiwan Blockchain Association is involved in a fraud case and has been officially indicted by the prosecution.

Liu Ting-wei, the founder and first chairman of the Taiwan Blockchain Association, was indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office for allegedly conspiring with Chen Cheng-yang, the head of the Fu Fu De Zheng studio, in a fraud case, facing charges of aggravated fraud and violation of banking laws.

Liu Ting-wei founded the Taiwan Blockchain Association in August 2020 (the association's website is now closed) and served as the first chairman until June 2023. The prosecution indicated that he allegedly instructed the then-secretary-general and supervisors of the association, who were unaware, to inject 1.1 and 1.09 Ethereum as the cost to create the MEKA coin, then commissioned Chen Cheng-yang to promote it through an unsuspecting salesperson.

What happened?

Emirates Airlines from Dubai announced a partnership with Crypto.com, expecting to introduce cryptocurrency payments starting in 2026, responding to young travelers' preferences for digital payments.

Although the applicable items and currencies have not been explicitly revealed, according to official information, Crypto.com currently supports payments in over 20 types of cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies.

The Dubai government is actively building a hub for virtual assets, promoting many cryptocurrency payment policies. Emirates Airlines is aligning with local policies to implement cryptocurrency payments, changing the lifestyle of residents.

Emirates Airlines plans to support cryptocurrency payments

What happened?

The FTX bankruptcy management company proposed a motion to suspend payments to residents of 49 countries with regulatory restrictions or unclear regulations on cryptocurrency, including China. Among them, claims from Chinese creditors amount to as much as $380 million. This move immediately triggered strong dissatisfaction among Chinese creditors, and over 500 people have gathered to form a self-rescue alliance, actively seeking legal means to defend their rights.

Chinese creditors raised two main core arguments against FTX's motion. First, they emphasized that FTX's final payment is in USD cash, which is a legal tender compensation and should not be subject to cryptocurrency regulatory restrictions. Second, they pointed out that Chinese law recognizes digital assets as "personal property," and although there are regulations on trading, legally held digital assets are still protected. Therefore, FTX should not use this as a reason to refuse or delay compensation.

What happened?

Tether has built its own vault in Switzerland, holding nearly 80 tons of gold valued at approximately $8 billion, becoming one of the world's largest private gold holders, raising significant concerns about its reserve structure and compliance risks.

Tether's gold reserves account for nearly 5% of its total assets, a scale that has caught up with UBS. In addition to USDT, Tether has also launched the XAUT token, which is pegged to physical gold at a 1:1 ratio, as an on-chain hedging option.

Regulatory frameworks in Europe and the U.S. exclude gold as a reserve asset for stablecoins, so if Tether seeks compliance in the future, it may need to sell its gold reserves.

New milestones in Taiwan's virtual asset supervision.

In the rapid evolution of cryptocurrency assets and changes in international regulatory trends, Taiwan's virtual asset industry stands at a critical turning point for institutionalization. The '2025 Virtual Asset Great Future - Derivative Product Regulatory Policy Forum', hosted by the Bitcoin and Virtual Asset Development Association, has successfully concluded today, gathering representatives from the Financial Supervisory Commission, legislators, representatives from the three major industry associations, and inviting industry players such as MaiCoin, BitoPro, Liminal Custody, and HOYABIT, along with scholars from the Citic Financial Management Institute, to jointly discuss key issues like derivative products, Bitcoin ETFs, stablecoins, and asset accounting recognition, paving the way for the next steps in Taiwan's virtual asset industry.

Ethereum is winning, but ETH investors still are not winning.

You may have noticed that my stance on ETH has recently become more moderate. The decline in ETH's relative valuation has led to a loss of investor confidence, and when ETH aspires to be a network currency, investor confidence is key.

For years, the reasons for ETH's underperformance have been a focal point of debate. Many of the issues plaguing ETH's relative valuation are beyond its control—Gary Gensler, Michael Saylor, and others have contributed to this. (Gensler has already left, and ETH fund management companies have finally been established; some external issues will resolve themselves.)

2025 Q2 Dapp Market Report

AI agents dominate the market, RWA redefines NFT value, DeFi attracts capital but loses momentum, and the $6.3 billion hacker attack in Q2 exposed the industry's vulnerabilities.

Despite the rebound in cryptocurrency market prices and improved sentiment, the DApp ecosystem presents a different picture: AI agents are experiencing explosive growth, NFT values are shifting from ostentation to functionality, and DeFi is navigating through the squeeze of rising TVL and shrinking funding. These data not only showcase market activity levels but also reveal the true flow of users, the areas falling behind, and the key trends reshaping the future of DApps.

What happened?

Volkswagen partners with blockchain startup Hivemapper to introduce Bee Maps, built collaboratively by drivers, providing real-time street view information needed for self-driving cars, transforming maps from static to dynamic, and allowing for instant updates as streets change.

Even with multiple sensors on Volkswagen's self-driving cars, they still struggle with unexpected road conditions. Through the edge, construction, and pick-up/drop-off point data provided by Bee Maps, Volkswagen can enhance vehicle navigation and positioning capabilities in complex scenarios.

Hivemapper is a representative project in the DePIN track, incentivizing the public to contribute map data through crypto rewards. This model has been applied in self-driving, logistics, and ride-hailing services, becoming an important bridge connecting blockchain and the real world.

Say goodbye to traditional constraints and welcome the new era of 24-hour subscriptions.

LINE Bank's "Newly Raised ETF" subscription platform, with its unprecedented convenience, is rapidly becoming the preferred tool for small investors and new-generation investors to allocate ETFs.

Through an innovative model of "fastest 3 minutes, no need to visit counters, any securities account can subscribe," LINE Bank has successfully solved two major pain points of traditional ETF IPO subscriptions: time restrictions and brokerage restrictions, enabling investors to participate in ETF IPO investments anytime and anywhere without limitations.

In the past, investors often needed to personally visit a bank or securities counter to subscribe to newly raised ETFs, and they had to complete the process during business hours, which is undoubtedly inconvenient for modern individuals who value their time.

Key Points:

Rumors are circulating in the crypto community that Stripe may launch its own Layer 1 blockchain network (L1). Combined with its recent acquisitions of Bridge and Privy, launching a proprietary blockchain may be a reasonable next step.

As a leading global payment service provider (PSP), Stripe connects merchants, acquirers, card networks, and issuing banks at a technical level to ensure smooth and secure transactions.

If Stripe really launches L1, it is expected to support stablecoin payments as well as customer payments and merchant settlements in the basic scenario; in an optimistic scenario, it could revolutionize the payment system with the following features:

Binance CEO's frequent visits to Taiwan reflect a deep connection, optimistic about Taiwan's technology and talent advantages.

The Bitcoin and Virtual Assets Development Association, in collaboration with the world's largest exchange Binance, co-hosted an international industry summit today (9th), where Binance CEO Chang Wei-Cheng also personally attended to show support.

During the discussion session, Chang Wei-Cheng revealed that this is his tenth visit to Taiwan, and he feels a deep affection for this land. He recalled his experience serving in the military in Taiwan over thirty years ago, stating that Taiwan is a 'very warm place with many delicious places that are also great.'

Trump announces a 25% tariff on Japan and South Korea, causing Bitcoin to drop sharply.

Former U.S. President Trump released two letters (Letter 1, Letter 2) on the Truth Social platform on Monday, announcing that he will impose a 25% tariff on Japan and South Korea, reigniting market concerns about a trade war. Trump pointed out in the letter that trade between the U.S. and these two countries has been unfair, leading to a trade deficit for the U.S. This tariff policy will take effect on August 1, delayed from the original deadline of July 9.

Affected by the tariff news, Bitcoin's price dropped sharply, retreating from a high of $109,700 on Sunday to around $107,700, falling 0.8% within 24 hours, briefly dipping below the psychological barrier of $108,000. (As of the time of writing, Bitcoin's price is $107,522). This wave of decline completely erased the modest gains made over the weekend, showing the market's sensitive reaction to uncertainty in trade policy.

2025 Virtual Assets Future - Derivatives Supervision Policy Forum

As the Taiwanese government actively promotes the virtual asset service law, the draft law will be submitted for review this year, and Taiwan's virtual asset industry is entering a new stage of development. The industry has high expectations for the introduction of cryptocurrency derivatives such as futures and options, but there are still many questions about how the new regulations will regulate these products. The Bitcoin and Virtual Asset Development Association held the "2025 Virtual Asset Future - Derivatives Regulatory Policy Forum" today (8).

Trump announces a 25% tariff on Japan and South Korea, Bitcoin responds with a drop.

U.S. President Trump announced two letters (Letter 1, Letter 2) on the Truth Social platform on Monday, declaring a 25% tariff on Japan and South Korea, reigniting market concerns over a trade war. Trump pointed out that trade between the U.S. and these two countries has always been unfair, leading to a trade deficit for the U.S. This tariff policy will take effect on August 1, delayed from the original deadline of July 9.

Affected by the tariff news, the price of Bitcoin dropped accordingly, falling from a high of $109,700 on Sunday to around $107,700, a 0.8% drop within 24 hours, briefly dipping below the psychological barrier of $108,000. (As of the time of writing, the price of Bitcoin is $107,522) This decline completely erased the modest gains made over the weekend, demonstrating the market's sensitive reaction to the uncertainty of trade policies.

2025 Future of Virtual Assets—Derivatives Regulation Policy Forum

With the Taiwanese government actively promoting a special law for virtual asset services, the draft of this special law will be submitted for review this year, marking a new development stage for Taiwan's virtual asset industry. The industry has high expectations for introducing cryptocurrency derivatives such as futures and options, but there are still many questions about how new regulations will govern these products. The Bitcoin and Virtual Asset Development Association held the '2025 Future of Virtual Assets—Derivatives Regulation Policy Forum' today.

What happened?

The Open Network claims to collaborate with the UAE to launch a program that allows obtaining a 10-year golden visa by staking only $100,000 worth of TON tokens, which is cheaper and faster than traditional methods. This news led to a surge in the price of TON by over 10%, with the market optimistic, believing it aligns with the UAE's vision of becoming a crypto hub.

TON's claims were quickly denied by a joint statement from the UAE's Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, the Securities and Commodities Authority, and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. The officials clearly stated that the issuance of golden visas has strict standards and does not include digital currency investors. This clarification caused the price of TON to drop about 6% from its peak.

Why can stablecoins not yet replace cash?

Traditional finance is gradually integrating stablecoins into its system, and the trading volume of stablecoins is continuously increasing. Due to their fast, nearly zero-cost, and easy-to-program characteristics, stablecoins have become the best tools for building global fintech. The transition from traditional technology to new technology signifies that we will adopt fundamentally different business models—but this transformation also brings new risks. After all, a self-custody model based on digital assets is a disruptive shift compared to a banking system reliant on registered deposits over the past few centuries.

Ripple's legal disputes end

After successfully resolving the regulatory dispute with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse seems to have been revitalized.

On July 2, Ripple announced that it has applied for a federal banking license from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), striving to become the second company to receive this honor after Anchorage Digital. Additionally, its regulated custodian service provider in New York, Standard Custody and Trust Company, is also working to become the first cryptocurrency company to obtain a Federal Reserve Master Account, allowing it to hold reserve deposits supporting its $469 million stablecoin RLUSD directly at the Federal Reserve.