Over the weekend, China, the biggest crypto mining country once again, began to clamp down on cryptocurrency. Ten Chinese agencies including the central bank and banking, securities and foreign exchange regulators have vowed to work hand in hand to expose illegal cryptocurrency activity.
China has always placed stricter rules on cryptocurrencies but the new rule has made all crypto-related activities illegal. According to the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), it is illegal to cryptocurrency trading and anyone that does so will be severely punished; this includes those within China that are working for overseas platforms. To fully phase out the cryptocurrency mining sector, the National Development and Reform Council (NDRC) said that it would launch a nationwide crackdown on cryptocurrency.
Over the years, China does not recognize cryptocurrency as a legal tender. In 2013, the Chinese government referred to Bitcoin as a virtual commodity that individuals are allowed to freely participate in. This freedom, however, precludes banks and payment companies from providing services that are Bitcoin related.
In 2017, Initial Coin Offering (ICO) was banned. The ban was also extended to the conversion of legal tenders to cryptocurrencies by trading platforms which led most of the platforms to shut down operations in China. The crackdown led 88 trading platforms and 85 ICO platforms to withdraw from the market as of July 2018.
To China, the crackdown on cryptocurrency is necessary as the country is trying to launch its official digital currency and the need to fulfil its 2060 climate targets. The crackdown was necessary as cryptocurrency was seen as infringing on people’s properties and ‘disrupting the normal economic order.’
The statement by PBOC on Friday was unequivocal as the current crackdown is distinct from the previous ones. In his statement on Friday, PBOC called Bitcoin, Ether and Tether ‘legally irreparable’ and should not be used. The new regulations forbid financial institutions, marketing and IT providers from supporting crypto-related activities. The activities of both crypto holders and miners are now considered illegal. This is what Henri Arslanian, a PwC crypto leader termed as “No ambiguity. No room for discussion. No grey areas” in his tweet.
What does this mean for crypto holders worldwide?
The major effect of China’s crackdown on cryptocurrency is the increase in price volatility. While volatility is a common phenomenon in the crypto world, a crackdown initiated by the world biggest cryptocurrency mining country will have a huge effect on market price.
After the PBOC interview, Bitcoin fell by 4% within 24 hours and is currently trading at $43,320. Ethereum fell by 6% and it is currently trading at $3,036. With the Evergrande debt crisis and the huge blow bedevilling the crypto market, a clampdown by China would most likely keep the market price on the red until another good news crops up.
