Coinbase China Access Sparks Questions as Mainland ID Reports Clash With Official Policy

Coinbase is facing fresh scrutiny after multiple users claimed they successfully completed identity verification using mainland Chinese identification, despite the exchange making no public announcement and its official documentation continuing to state otherwise.

According to screenshots shared on social media, several mainland users reported successful account verification on Monday. One message displayed during the process said verification could take up to an hour, with results to be sent by email. However, Coinbase’s support pages still list a Chinese passport as the only accepted identity document for users in mainland China, while proof of address remains unsupported.

The conflicting information has fueled speculation that Coinbase may be testing a limited rollout or quietly adjusting its onboarding process. The company has not confirmed any policy change, leaving the scope and permanence of the reported access unclear.

The reports come as China maintains one of the world's strictest cryptocurrency policies. In September 2021, the People’s Bank of China and nine other government agencies declared cryptocurrency trading by offshore exchanges for mainland residents illegal. Following the announcement, major platforms, including Huobi, stopped serving Chinese users.

Regulators have since expanded enforcement, extending restrictions to stablecoins and tokenized assets earlier this year while increasing pressure on offshore brokers facilitating crypto trading for mainland investors.

Although Coinbase would not be the first offshore exchange to reach Chinese users, its position as a publicly listed U.S. company makes any apparent easing of mainland access particularly significant. The move could attract greater regulatory attention as digital assets remain a strategic issue in U.S.-China relations.

Before the 2021 mining crackdown, Cambridge University data showed China accounted for more than 75% of Bitcoin's global hash rate in 2019. That figure dropped to nearly zero after Beijing's mining ban, underscoring the scale of China's former influence on the crypto market.

Even if Coinbase is allowing limited mainland onboarding, trading cryptocurrencies remains illegal for mainland Chinese residents regardless of which exchange accepts their identification. Future updates to Coinbase’s help documentation may clarify whether the reported verification success reflects a broader policy shift or only a temporary test.