Taiwan's legislature passed its Virtual Asset Service Act on third reading, delivering a statutory framework for the country's bitcoin and crypto industry that lawmakers framed as Taiwan's entry into a new era of digital finance. The bill imposes customer-asset segregation, information disclosure, and platform listing and delisting rules, while directing authorities to move forward on stablecoin oversight and derivative product rules aligned with international standards.
Russia moved on a parallel track, with crypto legislation that sets the terms for issuance and circulation of digital currencies reported as taking effect on September 1, a continuation of the Bank of Russia's formal posture from September 2025 that greenlit crypto for international trade as SWIFT restrictions continued to bind. That leaves Russia, Taiwan, and a handful of other jurisdictions locking in rulebooks while US spot bitcoin ETFs posted roughly $4.3 billion in outflows month-to-date on track for the worst monthly withdrawal on record.
Why it matters
The simultaneous pass is the second jurisdictional domino in a quarter that began with the US SEC's Project Crypto framework. SEC chair Paul Atkins framed the US push as delivering long-for certainty to digital asset issuers so entrepreneurs can know before they act whether a token is a security, but the onchain text of US policy still relies on agency discretion rather than statute. Taiwan's third-reading approval and the September Russian effective date are the kind of statutory guardrails global exchanges, custodians, and treasury allocators actually plan around, and they arrive while the largest US-listed vehicles are bleeding assets.
Market impact
The ETF flow picture is the headline counterweight. Bloomberg Intelligence's James Seyffart noted that the same buyer cohort that took in roughly $30B between April and October of 2025 has been rotating out, even as on-chain whale accumulation prints the largest spike on record. The read is that ETF vehicles absorbed paper-handed flow while long-dated holders are repositioning at lower prints, with Taiwan and Russia now providing the type of jurisdictional clarity that historically precedes institutional re-entry.
Frequently asked questions
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What did Taiwan's Virtual Asset Service Act actually do?
The bill passed third reading and imposes customer-asset segregation, information disclosure, and platform listing and delisting rules on virtual asset service providers, while directing authorities to move on stablecoins and derivative products aligned with international standards.
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When does Russia's crypto law take effect?
Russia's cryptocurrency law, which sets rules for the issuance and circulation of digital currencies, is reported to take effect on September 1, a continuation of the Bank of Russia's September 2025 posture legalizing crypto for international trade.
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How much have US spot bitcoin ETFs lost this month?
US spot bitcoin ETFs are on pace for the worst month of withdrawals on record, with roughly $4.3 billion in outflows reported month-to-date, per Bloomberg Intelligence's James Seyffart on Altcoin Daily.
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Who is buying bitcoin while ETFs bleed?
On-chain data shows whale accumulation printing the largest spike on record even as ETF vehicles rotate out, suggesting long-dated holders are repositioning into the selling from ETF vehicles rather than leaving the market.
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How does SEC Project Crypto compare to Taiwan and Russia's moves?
SEC chair Paul Atkins framed Project Crypto as delivering clarity on whether a token is a security, but the US framework still rests on agency discretion rather than statute, while Taiwan's third-reading approval and Russia's September effective date are statutory guardrails exchanges and allocators can plan around.
Altcoin Daily