London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 02, 2026

Internet Cafe Owners in China Have Turned to Crypto Miners Amid COVID-19

Internet Cafe Owners in China Have Turned to Crypto Miners Amid COVID-19

The Coronavirus pandemic has driven people to take advantage of new business lines to deal with the economic crisis, and cryptocurrency is once again a headliner. Internet cafe owners in China are using their facilities to set up crypto mining farms after temporarily shutting down in 2020.
Owners Are Earning Around $6,200 Monthly


According to Sina, quoting a recently published report, almost 13,000 internet-fueled cafes that operate 24 hours a day, are depending on their high-end computers to mine digital assets, as their PCs were originally conditioned for gamers.

Some of them claim to earn over 40,000 yuan ($6,200) worth in virtual currencies on a monthly basis.

The report states that some owners are even using 200 computers to run mining operations. Wang Xi, a Chinese internet cafe proprietary, commented that the attendance in his business is still “not high.”

“Working days are less than 50%, and mining is done when computers are idle,” he added.

The cafe-based mining farm owner claims to have earned over 200,000 yuan ($31,000) since September 2020. He stated that some of his colleagues turned to digital asset mining because of its profitability:

“Due to the impact of last year’s epidemic, Internet cafes were closed for a long time, and the flow of people was not particularly large. Only recently has it improved slightly. As far as I know, most Internet cafes in the entire Nantong urban area have chosen to mine.”

He also provided further technical details on his mining rig:

“I have a shop computer that uses a 1060 5GB graphics card. The mining power is 15 MB, and the income per trillion is 0.8 yuan. If you calculate the amount of 100 computers, the monthly income is 37,000 yuan ($5,750). The electricity consumption in the industry is only 0.6 yuan/kWh.“

South Korean Internet Cafe Owners Are Also Profiting From Crypto Mining
Another owner quoted by the report, Zhang Li, who talked under a pseudonym, believes “mining is definitely the best choice that can be made within the scope of limited resources.” Crypto mining already allowed him to yield profits of around $7,750 monthly.

This maneuver to deal with the pandemic-driven crisis is not the first-of-its-kind in Asia. Internet cafe owners, known as “PC bangs,” in Seoul, South Korea, are mining ether (ETH). The PC bangs are also relying on highly-end computers with top-notch graphic cards in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.

Source: Internet Cafe Owners in China Have Turned to Crypto Miners Amid COVID-19 – Fintechs.fi

Follow Fintechs.fi on Twitter and Facebook!

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Scottish Court to Rule on Bid to Force No-Confidence Vote Against Aberdeen Council Co-Leader
UK Bans Extra Charges for Seating Children Under 12 Beside Accompanying Adults
UK Introduces Vaping Duty and New Licensing Requirements
Greggs to Close Four UK Factories and Cut 740 Jobs
Hundreds of Prisoners Released Early as England and Wales Prisons Reach 98% Capacity
UK Unveils New Russia Sanctions Targeting War Funding and Shadow Fleet
Burnham Says There Are Strong Indications of Iranian Involvement in RAF Fairford Security Breach
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Raises Prospect of Reviewing Britain's Post-Brexit EU Relationship
Markets Price in Bank of England Rate Increases as Inflation Rises to 3.1%
UK Borrowing Costs Climb Toward 5.5% as Global Bond Sell-Off Intensifies
UK-France One-In-One-Out Migration Agreement Expires as London Seeks Alternative Measures
Southwest England Faces Flood Alerts After Heavy Autumn Storms
UK Expands Funding for Rapid Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
Welsh Government Approves Funding to Upgrade South Wales Transport
Northern Ireland Tensions Rise as Orange Order Rejects Drumcree Compromise
NHS Leaders Back Early Design of Proposed National Care Service
More Than One-Third of Regional UK Universities Face Financial Deficits
UK Current Account Deficit Narrows as Cross-Border Financial Flows Remain Strong
Bank of England and FCA Issue New Rules for Stablecoins and Digital Assets
MI5 Warns UK Universities Over Research Links With Chinese Institutions
UK Energy Price Cap Rises 4% as Electricity VAT Is Temporarily Suspended
Equity Calls for UK Personality Rights to Protect Performers From AI Replication
OpenAI Pauses Advanced Model Training Following Safety Concerns
Scottish Government Proposes Replacing 32 Councils With Larger Regional Authorities
Ofgem Raises UK Household Energy Price Cap by 4% From October
UK Counter-Terrorism Police Continue Investigation After Five Arrests Near RAF Fairford
OECD Cuts UK 2027 Growth Forecast to 1%
Labour Says State Pension Triple Lock Remains Protected Through Current Parliament
Andy Burnham Pledges National Care Service With Free Social Care in England
Six Flags Permanently Shuts Landmark X2 Roller Coaster Following Safety Scandals
Metropolitan Police Rule Out Terrorism in Golders Green Stabbing Investigation
Lithium-Ion Battery Identified as Cause of Fatal Merseyside House Fire
UK Department Rejects New Sea Use Framework Due to Stakeholder Fatigue
Major Thames Water Pipe Burst Causes School Closures in London
Aldi Commits £900 Million to Expand UK Supermarket Network
Scottish Affairs Committee Warns Skills Shortages Threaten Defence Sector Expansion
Parliamentary Committee Warns Northern Ireland Budget Deadlock is Stalling Economic Growth
NHS Hospitals in England Face Severe Shortages of Essential Medications
Home Secretary Signals Major Overhaul of UK Immigration and Leave to Remain Policies
Chancellor Promises New Job Schemes Alongside Strict Fiscal Discipline
Energy Secretary Proposes Taxpayer-Funded Green Transition and National Electricity Grid
UK Government to Renationalise Avanti West Coast Railway Franchise in March
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Major Social Care and Infrastructure Reforms
Five Suspects Released on Bail Following Alleged Bomb Plot Near RAF Fairford
UK Diesel Prices Hit Record High of 199p Per Litre
Transport for Wales and Network Rail Complete Electrification of South Wales Metro
Defra Expands Incentives for Sustainable Farming and Biodiversity in England
Northern Ireland Executive Approves Funding Package to Resolve Public Sector Pay Disputes
Universities UK Warns of Financial Insolvency Risks for Higher Education Institutions
UK Prisons Activate Emergency Protocols to Manage Capacity Pressures
×