Coinbase has started letting people in mainland China register accounts with a Chinese national ID card and a domestic address, according to user reports first compiled by crypto outlet Odaily on July 14. The change replaces a sign-up process that required a Chinese passport plus a Hong Kong address, a combination most mainland residents do not have. Wu Blockchain reported that Coinbase staff confirmed the new verification path, and users posted screenshots of completed sign-ups that took under a minute. Know-your-customer checks, or KYC, are the identity verification steps a financial platform must complete before it can let a customer trade. Coinbase has made no announcement, and its help center still lists a passport as the only accepted document for China. The silence matters because China’s ban on crypto trading remains fully in force.
Key takeaways
- Users in mainland China reported successful Coinbase sign-ups on July 14, 2026 using a national ID card and a mainland address. Verification reportedly took less than a minute.
- The old process required a Chinese passport and a Hong Kong address. Coinbase has not announced the change, and its help pages still list passport-only verification for China.
- China’s September 2021 rules from the People’s Bank of China and nine other agencies still prohibit crypto trading and treat offshore exchange services to mainland residents as illegal financial activity.
- Asked to comment, a Coinbase spokesperson pointed to Coinbase International Exchange, which onboards customers in more than 100 countries, without confirming the mainland change.
Published: July 15, 2026, 17:15 UTC
What changed in the sign-up flow
The new path accepts a mainland Chinese national ID, a domestic residential address, and a local phone number, Odaily reported based on community feedback that included a link to a Chinese-language Coinbase sign-up page. Multiple users posted screenshots of successful verifications on Monday, and Wu Blockchain wrote that Coinbase staff confirmed the change directly.
The company’s own documentation tells a different story. Coinbase’s identity verification page still lists a passport as the sole supported document for China and marks proof of address as not available, a gap that suggests either a staged rollout or a quiet test, BeInCrypto reported. Responding to the outlet, Coinbase communications head Mary-Kate Collins pointed to Coinbase International Exchange and its onboarding in more than 100 countries rather than confirming or denying the mainland shift.
Beijing’s trading ban has not moved
Registration is not the same as legal trading, and nothing in China’s rules has changed. In September 2021, the People’s Bank of China and nine other agencies issued a notice that banned crypto trading and declared services from offshore exchanges to mainland residents illegal financial activity. Huobi, then one of the largest exchanges in the world, stopped accepting Chinese users within days.
Enforcement has tightened since. Regulators extended the ban to stablecoins and tokenization businesses in February, and a separate crackdown in May targeted offshore brokers routing mainland money into crypto rails through Hong Kong. Mainland residents who trade on any platform, whatever documents it accepts, still carry the legal exposure themselves.
The market Beijing closed was enormous. Cambridge University data showed China produced over 75% of global bitcoin hashrate, the network’s total computing power, in September 2019. That share fell to near zero by July 2021 after the mining ban.
Why Coinbase would take the risk
Odaily framed the move as a response to performance pressure, and COIN shares rose after the reports circulated, crypto.news reported. The Chinese-speaking market is one of the largest pools of untapped crypto demand anywhere, and Coinbase has been widening its international funnel for months. It resumed onboarding users in India in late 2025 after resolving earlier regulatory problems there, and it recently served as custodian when the US government moved $288 million in seized bitcoin to its platform.
Rivals such as OKX have long served some Chinese users through offshore channels. The difference is visibility. A US-listed exchange easing mainland onboarding invites scrutiny that offshore competitors rarely attract, at a moment when regulators elsewhere in Asia are moving the opposite direction and opening regulated paths, as Japan did this week with its crypto ETF and tax bill.
What happens next will show whether this is policy or probe. Updated help pages in the coming weeks would signal commitment. A quietly closed door would answer the question the other way, and the PBOC has historically responded to perceived violations of its ban with fast enforcement.
Frequently asked questions
Can people in mainland China legally trade on Coinbase now?
No. China’s 2021 rules still prohibit crypto trading and classify offshore exchange services to mainland residents as illegal financial activity. The reports cover account registration and identity verification only, and it remains unclear whether full trading access follows. Users themselves carry the legal risk.
Has Coinbase confirmed the change?
Not publicly. Wu Blockchain reported that Coinbase staff confirmed the new verification path, and a company spokesperson pointed BeInCrypto to Coinbase International Exchange without addressing the mainland question. The official help center still lists a passport as China’s only accepted document.
Why would Coinbase do this despite the ban?
Growth. The company faces pressure to expand internationally, and Chinese-speaking users represent a large untapped market. The move mirrors its return to India in late 2025, and rivals like OKX already serve some Chinese users through offshore channels with far less public attention.
