Taiwan’s Control Yuan Plans to Bar Crypto and Livestream Tips as Political Donations

Taiwan’s Political Donations Act is administered by the Ministry of the Interior, while the Control Yuan receives donation filings. The law was last amended on June 20, 2018, and does not explicitly address crypto assets or livestream tips. Both types of payments can be cross-border, anonymous and volatile, making donors’ identities and sources of funds difficult to verify. Some politicians have received more than NT$1 million in tips in a single month, raising concerns about election-finance transparency and the risk of foreign interference.

The Executive Yuan held its 13th review meeting on January 16, 2026. The draft amendments would prohibit political parties, prospective candidates and others from raising political donations through crypto assets or online tips. The Control Yuan said on April 21 that the draft still required Executive Yuan approval before being sent to the Legislative Yuan. Unauthorized tips would carry proposed fines of NT$200,000 to NT$1.2 million, while unlawfully soliciting or donating crypto assets would be punishable by proposed fines of NT$500,000 to NT$10 million.