Elaine Ou, a blockchain engineer and Bloomberg View columnist, answered questions about cryptocurrencies from Bloomberg Terminal customers in a TOPLive chat on Tuesday with Julie Verhage, who covers markets for Bloomberg News. Since then, bitcoin has skyrocketed to new heights and Cboe Global Markets Inc. plans to launch bitcoin futures trading on Sunday. Here's a lightly edited transcript.Verhage: Bitcoin and other crypto-assets have had crazy runs this year.

Bitcoin hit a fresh record of $14,000 Thursday as investors piled in, triggering a warning the cryptocurrency was "like a charging train with no brakes" which would inevitably slip back.It touched a new a high of $14,400 in Asian trade before slipping back to $13,900, according to Bloomberg News.

The Philippines is looking at regulating so-called initial coin offerings, as the use of cryptocurrencies gains ground in the Southeast Asian nation.Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla said the central bank is in talks with the nation’s Securities and Exchange Commission on ways to oversee ICOs, in which companies raise funds through the sale of digital tokens.

Singapore doesn’t plan to regulate cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, but will remain alert to money laundering and other potential risks stemming from their use, the head of the country’s central bank said.“As of now I see no basis for wanting to regulate cryptocurrencies,” Monetary Authority of Singapore Managing Director Ravi Menon said in an interview.

Due to their unregulated nature, cryptocurrencies and the businesses that they have created occupy a grey area in Southeast Asia. However, they have undoubtedly become a major focus area for ASEAN businesses.This isn’t surprising, considering the advantages that cryptocurrencies bring to the table. Their adoption can reduce costs and increase security and convenience for both consumers and businesses.The cryptocurrency market is expected to see massive growth over the next six years.

Singapore banks have closed accounts of several companies which specialise in providing cryptocurrency and payments services, according to two local bodies which represent financial-technology firms.Noting that cryptocurrency firms have had similar problems with their banks in other countries, the head of Singapore’s Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Industry Association, or Access, asked the government to step in.“From our analysis, it appears to be common among leading FinTech hubs,” Access Cha

An IPO, or initial public offering, offers a chance to make big money quickly by getting in on the ground floor of the next new Google or Facebook. An ICO, or initial coin offering, offers a chance to make big money quickly by getting in on the next new money. It’s a formula that’s led to over two billion dollars being raised so far this year for a range of startups issuing digital tokens, a faster pace than any other early-stage venture capital funding.

One of the biggest bitcoin exchanges in China and the world announced Thursday that it would stop all trading following new Chinese government regulations clamping down on cryptocurrencies.The international value of bitcoin has plunged in recent days amid speculation that the Chinese authorities will shut down the trading platforms following last week's ban on initial coin offerings.BTCC – China's second bitcoin platform in terms of volume and the world's third largest – said o

China plans to ban trading of bitcoin and other virtual currencies on domestic exchanges, dealing another blow to the 150 billion dollars cryptocurrency market after the country outlawed initial coin offerings last week.The ban will only apply to trading of cryptocurrencies on exchanges, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the information is private.

Earlier this week, the world was bombarded with unfavourable news about bitcoin. Chinese media outlet, Caixin, posted an article that said China is planning to shut local bitcoin exchanges. If the report is true, this would be the PBoC's (People’s Bank of China) second move against cryptocurrency in less than a week. The bank declared ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) illegal on September 4, 2017, which caused bitcoin prices to fall seven percent on September 8, 2017.