Will regulators end up giving crypto its independence?

[Bloomberg] [Fully Charged]( From [Bloomberg](   [FOLLOW US [Facebook Share]]([Twitter Share]( [SUBSCRIBE [Subscribe]](  G’day, This is [Tim]( in Taipei. Whether or not cryptocurrencies and tokens are securities, and what type, has become somewhat of a [preoccupation](for both regulators and those who oppose any kind of restrictions. Frankly, I think the libertarian anarchists need to get over themselves. If they want widespread adoption, then they’re going to have to accept some level of rules. In Thailand, the government didn’t bother with the whole “securities or not" question. They just [wrote a new law]( to create a new category simply called digital assets. This gives a fair amount of leeway to the crypto crowd, while seeking to protect investors. But the anarchists still aren’t happy, and they certainly don’t agree with my take on regulation. It makes me think of how the U.S. and Canada achieved their independence. One would-be country had to fight a bloody war against imperial masters, the other took the slow path and achieved it more peacefully (almost a century later). I’ll let you judge which was the better approach. Thailand might not suddenly steal a lot of share from more developed crypto communities such as South Korea, Japan or Taiwan, but its laws could be a benchmark for others to follow. Malta, for example, just passed a package of bills that make it one of the most-fancied places for crypto businesses to [set up operations](. Uganda is soon to [play host](to Binance's next exchange. Crypto true believers can keep pushing back against regulation, arguing that the whole point of bitcoin and other digital currencies is to cast off the shackles of government. If they hold their ground long enough, they may successfully achieve a truly independent, widely-adopted currency system. But it could also fail in a bloody mess. Alternatively, they could accept the argument that regulation equals legitimacy and actually engage with policy makers. But this could risk the very independence which many believe underpins the value of cryptocurrencies. The industry isn’t unified in its opinion, with various factions taking differing approaches. I don’t profess to know the answer, but I found it fascinating to watch the arguments laid out at the recent TechSauce conference in Bangkok and the [Asia Blockchain Summit]( this week in Taipei. No doubt these conversations will continue to be had at numerous gabfests over the next couple of years. As they do, expect bitcoin prices to [wax and wane](, and the average punter to sit on the sidelines until the turgid cryptocurrency waters look calm enough to enter. How do you think it will play out? [Let me know](mailto:tculpan1@bloomberg.net).  And here’s what you need to know in global technology news The U.S.-China trade wars continue with Micron Technologies Inc. caught in the middle. A Chinese court temporarily [banned]( the company's chips from the world's largest semiconductor market after ruling in favor of its rival, United Microelectronics Corp. in a patent case.  Need some cash? Personal loans have [surged]( to a record this year in the U.S., led by easy access to growing financial technology companies such as LendingClub, Proper Marketplace and Social Finance Inc.  Google loses a top cloud executive. Diane Bryant, who Google lured to its cloud business after she left a long career at Intel Corp., has [left]( the Alphabet Co. unit.  Google faces more antitrust issues. The European Union is planning to tell the Alphabet unit it [must change]( the way it runs its mobile phone business to address antitrust concerns with the company's Android mobile operating system.    A new way to get business news and analysis on your phone Bloomberg is now on WhatsApp. [Sign up here]( to get on-the-ground updates from reporters, breaking markets news, and more.   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Bloomberg Technology newsletter Fully Charged. You can tell your friends to [sign up here](.  [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022