SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Bitmain, China’s biggest maker of cryptocurrency mining machines, said it had suspended sales of its products in the spot market to help ease selling pressure following Beijing’s ban on bitcoin mining.
Bitmain also said it is looking for “quality” power supplies overseas along with its clients, in places including the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Indonesia.
China’s State Council, or cabinet, vowed to crack down on bitcoin trading and mining in late May, seeking to fend off financial risks.
Answering Beijing’s call, China’s main cryptocurrency mining hubs, including Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Yunnan and Sichuan, have all published detailed measures to root out the business.
Following the ban, many Chinese miners are selling machines and exiting the business, or shipping machines overseas.
“(Overseas) mining sites are not built overnight, and selling pressure is huge in the secondary market,” Bitmain said in a statement.
“To help smooth transition of the industry,” Bitmain has decided to suspend selling its Antminer machines globally.
Bitmain said overseas markets where it and Chinese miners are seeking cheap electricity also include Belarus, Sweden, Norway, Angola and Congo.
(Reporting by Samuel Shen and Andrew Galbraith; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Christopher Cushing)
