China Bans ICO & Bitcoin Exchanges Total supply: 200 Chinese regulatory authorities had imposed a ban on initial coin offerings (ICO), a cryptocurrency-based fundraising process, and termed it illegal in China in September 2017. That ban triggered an instant 6% decline in bitcoin prices. Following the ban, the Shanghai-based BTCC bitcoin exchange was forced to close its Chinese trading operations. These regulatory actions by China are aimed at controlling the increasing mania involving decentralized, non-regulated cryptocurrencies which have recently soared to astronomical valuations. However, despite the ICO ban and momentary decline, cryptocurrency trading continued in China, as many participants switched to foreign exchanges, like those based in Hong Kong and Japan, to deal in virtual currencies. Date January 16, 2022 Category (V) Uncommon Share facebook twitter linkedIn pinterest