Taiwan FSC Weighs Letting Retail Investors Buy Virtual-Asset ETFs Through Sub-Brokerage Accounts

Since September 30, 2024, Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission has allowed professional investors to invest in foreign virtual-asset ETFs through sub-brokerage accounts at domestic securities firms, while retail investors remain excluded. Whether the policy should be expanded has drawn market attention because it involves access thresholds, risk controls and investor protections for highly volatile assets such as Bitcoin.

The FSC has now said it will consider lifting the restriction. It will first await a report from the Taiwan Securities Association compiling nearly a year of data on trade execution, consumer disputes and international regulatory developments since the market was opened. The regulator will then conduct a comprehensive review before deciding whether retail investors may buy foreign virtual-asset ETFs through sub-brokerage accounts.