PRC Court Sets Aside Cryptocurrency Award on Public Interest Grounds

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This article first appeared on Arbitration Notes by Herbert Smith Freehills, here.

Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court has ordered that an arbitral award made by Shenzhen Arbitration Commission (also known as Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration) be set aside on the ground that awarding damages in US dollars in lieu of crypto is against the public interest.

(2018) Yue 03 Min Te No. 719 or (2018) 粤03民特719号

Background

The 2^nd Respondent (Li) commissioned the Applicant (Gao) to conduct cryptocurrency wealth management. Gao failed to return the relevant assets and profits to Li. Gao, Li and the 1^st Respondent (Yunsilu Fund) then entered into a share transfer agreement (Agreement), whereby the parties agreed that: (1) Yunsilu Fund should transfer a 5% share in a company to Gao at a consideration of RMB 550,000 (Consideration); (2) Li should pay RMB 300,000 to Yunsilu Fund on behalf of Gao as part of the Consideration and Gao should pay the remaining RMB 250,000 to Yunsilu Fund directly; and (3) Gao should return the relevant crypto assets (20.13 Bitcoin, 50 Bitcoin Cash, and 12.66 Bitcoin Diamond) to Li.

Gao failed to perform his obligation under the Agreement. Yunsilu Fund and Li commenced arbitration proceedings against Gao at the Shenzhen Arbitration Commission. They asked the tribunal to order that (1) the shares be transferred to Gao; (2) Gao pay RMB 250,000 to Yunsilu Fund; (3) Gao pay the US dollar equivalent of the crypto assets to Li, plus interest; and (4) Gao pay damages of RMB 100,000.

The arbitral tribunal found that Gao had failed to deliver crypto as agreed by the parties (who considered that such crypto had property value). This constituted a breach of contract and merited an award of damages. The tribunal referred to public information about the closing price of Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash at the agreed date of contractual performance, and estimated the loss at US$401,780. The tribunal ordered that (1) the shares be transferred to Gao, (2) Gao pay RMB 250,000 to Yunsilu Fund, (3) Gao pay US$401,780 to Li (to be converted to RMB at the exchange rate as of the date of the award); and (4) Gao pay damages of RMB 100,000 to Li.

Gao applied to the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court to set aside the award.

Decision

Since this is a Chinese domestic arbitral award, the Court reviewed it in accordance with Article 58 of the PRC Arbitration Law. The main issue for determination was whether the award was against the public interest. The Court held that, according to the Circular of the People’s Bank of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the China Banking Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission on Preventing Risks from Bitcoin (Yin Fa [2013] No.289), Bitcoin does not have the same legal status as a fiat currency, and cannot and should not be circulated in the market as a currency. In 2017 seven authorities, including the People’s Bank of China, jointly issued the Announcement on Preventing Risks relating to Fundraising through Token Offerings to reiterate the above provision. Meanwhile, from the perspective of preventing financial risks, the Announcement further provides that any so-called “token” financing and trading platform shall not:

1. engage in exchange business between fiat currencies and tokens or between “virtual currencies”;
2. trade tokens or “virtual currencies” for itself or as a central counterparty; or
3. provide pricing, information agency or other services for tokens or “virtual currencies”.

The above documents essentially prohibit the redemption, trading and circulation of Bitcoin in Mainland China, as well as speculation in Bitcoin and other activities that may amount to engaging in illegal financial activities, disturbing the financial order or affecting financial stability.

The arbitral tribunal ruled that Gao Zheyu should compensate Li Bin for the US dollar equivalent of the Bitcoin, then convert the US dollars into RMB. The Shenzhen Court ruled that this amounted to redemption and trading between Bitcoin and fiat currency in a disguised form, which contravenes the spirit of the above documents and violates the public interest. It therefore set aside the arbitral award. The Court declined to review the other grounds raised by the Applicant Gao Zheyu.

Comment

This ruling sends a clear warning that enforcing a crypto-related arbitral award may be difficult in jurisdictions, such as Mainland China, which show little tolerance for the cryptocurrency business.

Despite the fact that some Mainland Chinese courts have recognised Bitcoin as a “virtual commodity” or “virtual asset” (see (2019) Hu 01 Min Zhong No. 13689), it is important to remember that trade and exchange of cryptocurrencies (especially trading with fiat currencies) is strictly prohibited in Mainland China.

Claimants in crypto-related arbitrations with any Mainland element must take great care when framing their requests for relief. For example, if a claimant is owed crypto currency, instead of asking the tribunal to convert the debt into a fiat currency for damage calculation, the claimant may consider asking for damages to be paid in the same crypto currency to avoid any uncertainty on enforcement.