Taiwan’s FSC Scrutinizes Financial-Sector Use of OpenClaw AI Agents and Security Risks
OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent platform popularly known in Taiwan as “raising lobsters,” capable of performing multistep tasks on a user’s behalf. Recent reports that brokerages have adopted it have raised concerns about financial-data leaks, access controls and accountability. Because financial institutions hold customers’ personal and transaction data, use of such tools must comply with the FSC’s existing cybersecurity, internal-control and risk-management rules.
As of July 19, 2026, lawmakers had questioned officials in the Legislative Yuan about who would be liable if financial institutions’ use of OpenClaw caused problems, and urged the Financial Supervisory Commission to draft a “lobster-raising safety manual.” FSC Chairperson Thomas Kung-lung Peng said the regulator had begun studying the issue and would bring AI agents within its supervisory framework. No completion date for the manual has been announced, and no specific amount of money is involved.
All Coverage
4 original reportsThe Backstory
The history behind this eventOpenClaw AI Agent Software Goes Viral in China, Triggering Cybersecurity Warnings
OpenClaw, created by Austrian engineer Peter Steinberger and released as open source in January 2026, can handle email, manage schedules and book flights. Its popularity has sparked a “raising lobsters” craze in China. The software requires access to files and environment variables and can call APIs. Those elevated system privileges also expose personal credentials, corporate data and industrial control systems to the risk of leaks or takeover.
China’s National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center warned on March 10, 2026, that malicious instructions embedded in webpages could cause product keys to leak. Remote uninstallation services priced at 199 yuan (about NT$920) quickly appeared. On March 22, the center and the Cyber Security Association of China issued the first secure-use guidelines, calling for OpenClaw to be isolated on dedicated devices or virtual machines and denied administrator privileges. Financial institutions, government agencies and several colleges and universities have also successively restricted its use.
Subscribe to Mark Radar Weekly
Every Friday, the week's strongest signals in your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.