Bitcoin rises after China region declares war on crypto mining

China’s Inner Mongolia has banned cryptocurrency mining and declared its intention of shutting all such projects by April, spurring fears the world’s No. 2 economy will take more steps this year to eradicate the power-hungry practice.

The autonomous region, a favorite among the industry because of its cheap power, also banned new digital coin projects, according to a draft plan posted on the Inner Mongolia Development and Reform Commission’s website Feb. 25. The aim is to constrain growth in energy consumption to about 1.9% in 2021.

The announcement unnerved an industry that’s already been through a years-long Chinese campaign to shrink it down amid concerns over speculative bubbles, fraud and energy waste. The draft policy was released weeks after the National Development and Reform Commission — China’s top economic planner — blasted Inner Mongolia for being the only province to fail to control energy consumption in 2019.