Bruised by stock market, Chinese rush into banned bitcoin

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG: Dylan Run, a Shanghai-based finance sector executive, started moving a bit of his money into cryptocurrencies in early 2023, when he realized that the Chinese economy and its stock markets were going downhill.

Crypto trading and mining has been banned in China since 2021. Run used bank cards issued by small rural commercial banks to buy cryptocurrencies through grey-market dealers, and capped each transaction at 50,000 yuan (US$7,000) to escape scrutiny.  

"Bitcoin is a safe haven, like gold," says Run.

He now owns roughly 1 million yuan worth of cryptocurrencies, accounting for half of his investment portfolio, compared with just 40 per cent in Chinese equities.

His crypto investments are up 45 per cent. China's stock market, meanwhile, has been sinking for three years.

Like Run, more and more Chinese investors are using creative ways to own bitcoin and other crypto assets that they believe are safer than investing in crumbling stock and property markets at home.

They operate in a grey area. While cryptocurrency is banned in mainland China and there are strict controls on capital movement across the border, people are still able to trade tokens such as bitcoin on crypto exchanges such as OKX and Binance, or through other over-the-counter channels.

Mainland investors can also open overseas bank accounts to buy crypto assets.

After Hong Kong's open endorsement of digital assets last year, Chinese citizens are also using their US$50,000 annual forex purchase quotas to move money into cryptocurrency accounts in the territory. Under Chinese rules, the money can only be used for purposes such as overseas travel or education.

China's economic downturn "has made investment on the mainland risky, uncertain and