26th October 2025 – (Taipei) Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou is preparing to pursue legal remedies after longtime associate Will Tsai reportedly disappeared, with questions centred on a Bitcoin holding said to total between NT$100 million and NT$200 million (US$3-6 million). Industry figures and insiders now allege Tsai, a Taiwanese‑Canadian magician known for his 2017 America’s Got Talent appearance, had no financial training or licences and should never have been entrusted with digital assets.
Chou sparked concern by posting a “missing person” notice for Tsai on Instagram, stating the magician had gone off the grid following months of excuses about a “locked” Bitcoin account. The singer, who completed his Carnival World Tour in Shanghai on 11th October, warned publicly that patience had run out and subsequently unfollowed Tsai on social media. He is understood to be weighing a formal complaint as efforts to locate Tsai continue.
Sources told local media that Tsai was asked to manage Chou’s cryptocurrency portfolio and later claimed technical problems had restricted access to funds. Chou allowed a year for a resolution, but neither the assets nor Tsai reappeared, prompting the recent escalation. Within the magic community, separate allegations have surfaced of unsettled payments, unfulfilled product promises and repeated boasts of leveraging “Jay Chou’s backing” to secure commercial deals.
A fellow magician, Jian Tzu, recounted that Tsai had approached collaborators with grandiose assurances, including claims he could make a colleague “a star”, only to table terms considered highly one‑sided. Jian said Tsai’s reputation had been questioned privately for some time, though his proximity to Chou — including regular appearances at private events and on the travel series J‑Style Trip — had long suggested a close relationship. The pair also performed together at China Central Television’s 2018 Spring Festival Gala.
Fresh reporting in Taiwan has shifted the focus to Tsai’s lack of qualifications. An informed source maintained that Tsai had no finance background, held no regulatory licences and, at most, possessed a cold wallet and a gift for self‑promotion. The source questioned why large sums would be handed to a magician to operate in cryptocurrencies, and noted that discretionary management without authorisation is unlawful in Taiwan.
Under current Taiwanese regulations, anyone who operates client investment accounts — including stocks, futures or virtual assets — or gives concrete investment advice must hold an investment trust or investment advisory licence issued by the Financial Supervisory Commission. Conducting such activities without approval may breach the Securities Investment Trust and Consulting Act, a criminal offence carrying custodial sentences and fines. Where virtual assets are involved, taking control of others’ funds with promises of returns or capital protection can constitute illegal fundraising and attract penalties under banking law.
The insider added that Chou, known for his loyalty to friends, has so far refrained from filing a lawsuit in hopes Tsai will come forward to settle the matter, even as Chou’s agency has received third‑party legal demands. Recent celebratory posts on Chou’s social media suggest he is maintaining a positive public stance, but his team, JVR Music, has said it will not comment on the dispute.
