What Compliance Risks Lie Behind Trip.com's Overseas Version's USDT Payment?
Trip.com's overseas platform has introduced USDT payment, allowing users to book flights and hotels using the stablecoin. While this offers benefits like potential discounts from exchange rate differences and bypassing traditional cross-border payment fees and limits, it also carries significant compliance risks under Chinese regulations.
For personal use, if the USDT comes from legal sources (e.g., mining or legitimate exchange purchases), occasional small transactions may not be criminally prosecuted but could still violate foreign exchange rules. A major risk is unknowingly using "black USDT" linked to illegal activities like fraud, which could lead to frozen bank accounts and lengthy legal investigations.
Helping others book travel for profit, however, constitutes illegal business activity under Chinese law. Repeated or large-scale operations may lead to charges like illegal business operations or money laundering, especially if the USDT sources are suspicious.
To stay compliant, users should ensure payment, booking, and user identities match exactly, retain proof of legitimate fund sources, and avoid profiting from exchange rate arbitrage. Engaging in "U booking" services for others is strongly discouraged due to high criminal liabilities.
Ultimately, while USDT payments offer convenience, users must prioritize legal compliance to avoid severe financial and legal consequences.
深潮12/30 02:33
