Ethereum is plunging following reports China could ban cryptocurrency trading

Ethereum is plunging on Thursday afternoon, trading down over 17% to $228 per token, following reports that Chinese regulators are taking steps to shut down the country's bitcoin exchanges and possibly ban all trading of digital coins.

BTC China, the second largest Chinese bitcoin exchange, tweeted Thursday that it would stop trading of bitcoin on September 30.

"After carefully considering the announcement published by Chinese regulators on Sept. 4, BTC China Exchange will stop all trading on Sept. 30,” the exchange said.

On September 4, Beijing made initial coin offerings, a red-hot cryptocurrency-based fundraising method, illegal. ICOs often run on ethereum's blockchain to create new cryptocurrencies. Beijing also suggested it would ban all cryptocurrency trading.

In an ICO, a company issues a new digital currency that can either be spent within its ecosystem, a bit like Disneyland dollars, or used to power part of the business. They have help some companies raise millions of dollars in a matter of seconds.