virtual

According to the Huaxia Times, the People's Court of Jing'an District in Shanghai recently heard a dispute case regarding virtual currency investment. Investor Ms. Wu invested 1.05 million yuan to purchase USDT under the inducement of a live-streaming host, but later was unable to withdraw her funds due to the trading platform being inaccessible.Both the first and second instance of the court dismissed Ms. Wu's claims, determining that virtual currency does not have the same legal status as legal tender, and that related trading activities are considered illegal financial activities, violating public order and good morals, thus constituting invalid civil actions, with losses to be borne by the investor herself. This case echoes the notice issued on February 6 by the People's Bank of China and eight other departments regarding "further prevention and handling of risks related to virtual currencies," reaffirming China's prohibitive policy stance on virtual currencies.

According to reports from Zhong'an Online, the Hefei Xinzhan Public Security Bureau discovered that a virtual currency exchanger was providing money laundering services for a fraud gang while handling a telecom network fraud case involving 260,000 yuan. On January 15, 2026, the police arrested the suspect Liu in Sichuan.Investigation revealed that Liu had been engaged in virtual currency trading since 2020, contacting upstream buyers through overseas chat software and conducting transactions with fraudsters on illegal trading platforms. In June 2025, after selling virtual currency on an illegal platform, Liu withdrew the illicit funds that were transferred to his account to his personal WeChat account, which is suspected of concealing and disguising criminal proceeds. The case is currently under further investigation.

According to the disclosure by the WeChat public account of the Internet Information Office of Jiangmen, the Kaiping City Procuratorate is handling a "money laundering" case involving virtual currency. The criminal gang received funds from telecom network fraud and other criminal proceeds, which were then arranged to be withdrawn from the bank and exchanged for virtual currency to be transferred to upstream fraudsters. In just two months, the amount of fraud-related funds transferred exceeded 2 million yuan.Currently, 19 individuals involved in the case have been sentenced by the Kaiping City Court for the crime of concealing and disguising criminal proceeds.

The heads of the People's Bank of China and the China Securities Regulatory Commission stated that the background for the release of the "Notice on Further Preventing and Dealing with Risks Related to Virtual Currencies" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice") is: based on summarizing previous work experiences and in conjunction with the new risk situation, the original document has been revised to form the "Notice."In addition, this notice continues the policy stance of recent years, reiterating that virtual currencies do not have the same legal status as legal tender, and that conducting virtual currency-related business activities within the country is considered illegal financial activity. Foreign entities and individuals are not allowed to illegally provide virtual currency-related services to domestic entities in any form.In response to the rapid development of real-world asset tokenization in recent years, the "Notice" emphasizes that conducting real-world asset tokenization activities within the country, as well as providing related intermediary and information technology services, which may involve illegal issuance of token vouchers, unauthorized public issuance of securities, illegal operation of securities and futures businesses, and illegal fundraising, should be prohibited; except for related business activities conducted based on specific financial infrastructure with the approval of the competent business authorities in accordance with laws and regulations. Foreign entities and individuals are not allowed to illegally provide real-world asset tokenization-related services to domestic entities in any form.

According to Jinshi reports, relevant officials from the People's Bank of China and the China Securities Regulatory Commission answered reporters' questions regarding the "Notice on Further Preventing and Dealing with Risks Related to Virtual Currencies." They stated that regarding virtual currencies, there has long been a prohibitive policy stance on related business activities within the country.In 2013, the People's Bank of China and five other departments jointly issued the "Notice on Preventing Bitcoin Risks," which clarified that Bitcoin is a specific virtual commodity and should not be circulated or used as currency in the market. The "Notice on Further Preventing and Dealing with Risks of Virtual Currency Trading Speculation," issued in 2021, further clarified that Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins such as Tether do not have the same legal status as fiat currency, and conducting virtual currency-related business activities within the country is considered illegal financial activity and is strictly prohibited.The notice continues the policy stance of recent years, reiterating that virtual currencies do not have the same legal status as fiat currency, and conducting virtual currency-related business activities within the country is illegal financial activity. Foreign entities and individuals are not allowed to illegally provide virtual currency-related services to domestic entities in any form.

The People's Bank of China and eight other departments issued a notice on further preventing and addressing risks related to virtual currencies (Yin Fa [2026] No. 42), clarifying that virtual currencies do not have the status of legal tender, and related business activities are considered illegal financial activities.The notice prohibits the domestic conduct of virtual currency trading and the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA). Without approval from relevant departments, domestic entities are not allowed to issue virtual currencies or engage in tokenization activities overseas.Financial institutions are prohibited from providing services for related activities, and internet companies are not allowed to provide online venues or promotional activities. The notice requires strengthening risk monitoring and industry supervision, and severely cracking down on related illegal activities. This notice shall take effect from the date of issuance and simultaneously abolishes relevant provisions from 2021.

According to market news, in the past two days, a whale has been continuously selling the following tokens and incurring huge losses: sold 3.59 million $AERO for 1.39 million $USDC, a loss of 3.66 million dollars; sold 35.45 million $BRETT for 310.5 thousand $USDC, a loss of 3.07 million dollars; sold 636 thousand $VIRTUAL for 407.5 thousand $USDC, a loss of 1.76 million dollars.In addition, the whale has started selling $ANDY, currently incurring a loss of 1.615 million dollars.

According to the Hong Kong Economic Journal, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is considering allowing licensed virtual asset trading platforms (VATPs) to provide secondary trading services for tokenized securities to retail clients. The Deputy Director of the Intermediaries Division, Lo Hoi-sze, stated that the authorities are studying the relevant requirements, operational risks, and control measures, and are drafting a related circular.Currently, Hong Kong retail investors can only subscribe to and redeem tokenized funds in the primary market. Lo Hoi-sze specifically mentioned that the authorities are concerned about local tokenized money market funds and hope to allow trading on licensed VATP platforms, having conducted preliminary consultations with the industry regarding the relevant requirements.Lo Hoi-sze emphasized that from the SFC's perspective, tokenized securities are essentially the same as ordinary securities, with only a technological layer added, and therefore the regulatory principle of "same business, same risks, same rules" will apply.

The Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, China, recently issued a notice titled "Notice on Prohibiting Virtual Currency Mining Activities," which clearly states that virtual currency "mining" activities are considered outdated production processes and equipment that have been explicitly eliminated by the state. Related business activities are deemed illegal financial activities and will face risks such as loan cuts, power cuts, internet cuts, and credit penalties, with relevant personnel being held accountable for party discipline, administrative discipline, and legal responsibilities.The notice emphasizes that civil legal actions related to investing in virtual currencies and their derivatives are invalid, and any resulting losses must be borne by the individuals themselves. To maintain social stability and regulate market order, the county of Butuo has proposed three measures: first, to prohibit all forms of virtual currency "mining" activities, including but not limited to Bitcoin and Ethereum; second, to require local township governments and regulatory authorities in the telecommunications and electricity sectors to strengthen inspections and supervision according to local and industry management principles, and to crack down on illegal "mining" activities; third, to encourage the public to report illegal "mining" activities.

The police remind that as the year-end approaches, a new type of scam involving "offline cash withdrawal + online fraud" has emerged during the peak period of gold consumption. After the victims purchase gold at a jewelry store and have it mailed to a designated location, the scammers will send disguised "runners" to collect the package from the courier. Multiple "runners" relay the package, with the last one taking the gold to a recycling shop to sell it and then delivering the cash to a location specified by the scammers.Some scammers will also instruct the "runners" to find currency dealers to exchange the gold for virtual currency, which is then deposited into a designated account. This virtual currency can be circulated globally using blockchain technology. Once successful, the scammers achieve their goal of stealing gold and laundering money.

The Ministry of Public Security has announced that it has drafted the "Cyber Crime Prevention Law (Draft for Public Consultation)" and is now seeking public opinions. The content includes: no individual or organization shall knowingly harbor, transfer, acquire, sell on behalf of others, or conceal and disguise funds, data, or virtual property obtained from others' online illegal activities. No individual or organization shall knowingly use funds obtained from others' illegal activities to provide capital flow services using virtual currency or other online virtual properties.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the first case of violation of the "Virtual Asset User Protection Act" in South Korea has been sentenced. The Seoul Southern District Court sentenced the CEO of a cryptocurrency trading company to 3 years in prison for manipulating coin prices, along with a fine of 500 million won (approximately 385,000 USD) and the recovery of about 846 million won (approximately 650,000 USD). However, considering Mr. Lee's active cooperation during the trial and his prior detention, the court decided not to revoke his bail and did not detain him.The court found that between July and October 2024, he used an automated trading program to inflate trading volume and repeatedly placed false buy orders to manipulate prices, with improper gains amounting to about 7.1 billion won (approximately 5.46 million USD). This case is the first to be transferred by the prosecution through the financial regulatory "fast track" since the law took effect in July 2024.

The Ministry of Public Security has announced that it has drafted the "Cyber Crime Prevention Law (Draft for Comments)" and is now publicly soliciting opinions from society, with the deadline for feedback set for March 2, 2026. The content includes: no individual or organization shall knowingly harbor, transfer, acquire, sell on behalf of others, or conceal or disguise funds, data, or virtual property obtained from others' online illegal activities.No individual or organization shall knowingly use funds obtained from others' illegal activities to provide capital flow services using virtual currency or other online virtual property for others.

According to Hong Kong 01, the Hong Kong police disclosed that over the past three weeks, they have launched a citywide law enforcement operation against fraud, cybercrime, and money laundering, codenamed "Operation Conquer," resulting in the arrest of 682 individuals for conspiracy to commit fraud, obtaining property by deception, and money laundering. This operation involved 580 fraud and technology crime cases, with a total amount of up to HKD 620 million.Among them, in the law enforcement action codenamed "Cyber Web" by the Hong Kong Police Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, a local online romance scam group was dismantled, along with a gang that used virtual currency for money laundering. This gang defrauded 314 victims of a total of HKD 44 million over the past 16 months, with an average amount of about HKD 150,000 per case.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission announced today that it has included "ADG platform/Grady Technology Limited" in the warning list of suspicious virtual asset trading platforms, stating that the entity claims to operate a platform on its related website that offers trading services for tokenized real assets and stablecoins that are suspected to constitute "securities," and is suspected of unlicensed activities.

According to China News Service, Hong Kong hosted the annual meeting of the International Criminal Police Organization's Cybercrime Expert Group for the first time. The meeting covered various topics including online extortion, artificial intelligence, and virtual asset tracking. Chief Superintendent Chow Man-ming of the Hong Kong Police Force noted the emerging trends in crimes related to virtual assets and established a virtual asset intelligence task force last year as a public-private partnership to jointly address technological challenges.The Hong Kong police have also developed a virtual asset tracking system that visualizes the virtual asset investigation process and fully supports investigators.

The Hong Kong Legislative Council's Finance Committee announced that Member Li Weihong has been elected as the Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Hong Kong Legislative Council.Li Weihong had previously called for the promotion of the development of virtual assets and futures markets, expedited approval for license upgrades, suggested that the futures exchange achieve 23-hour trading as soon as possible, increase the variety of futures traded during holidays, and open more derivatives for virtual asset options and futures. In addition, Li Weihong also urged the Hong Kong government to accelerate the establishment of an international gold trading center and strive to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as soon as possible, allowing the industry to export gold and other precious metals from Hong Kong to RCEP members at zero tariffs.

According to Caixin, 46-year-old Chinese national Su Jingliang from Beijing was sentenced to 46 months in prison for participating in a "pig butchering" scam that laundered over $36.9 million (approximately 256 million yuan). He was also ordered to pay up to $26.87 million (approximately 187 million yuan) in compensation.The United States previously dismantled a transnational fraud and money laundering gang that built trust with victims through social media or dating apps, subsequently guiding them into a fake cryptocurrency trading platform for so-called "investments." The funds of 174 American victims flowed into the accounts of 74 shell companies registered in the U.S., and once the funds were received, they were converted into Tether (USDT). It is reported that in this "pig butchering" scam chain, Su Jingliang played a key role as the "accountant," communicating with employees of Deltec Bank via the encrypted messaging tool Telegram, receiving funds from the U.S. front shell companies, and directing the bank to quickly convert the incoming dollar assets into stablecoin USDT, which were then specifically sent to virtual currency wallets starting with "TRteo." The funds from these wallets ultimately flowed to scam dens in Southeast Asia.