Maybe It's More Than Just Regulation

Last week I found myself writing two separate pieces. One focused on the US AI Action Plan, the other on what unfolded during Washington's so-called Crypto Week, where three bills related to digital assets were rushed through Congress. At first, I saw them as distinct exercises. Different topics, different politics, different technologies. But with some distance and a bit of reflection, I'm beginning to think there's more tying them together than we might first assume.

The contrasts between approaches are striking. The EU is trying to build order. Its AI Act is dense, layered, and designed to sit neatly within its legal and institutional traditions. The crypto framework, MiCAR, took years to finalise, with every scenario walked through and every risk carefully boxed in theory. It is ambitious, cautious, and rooted in the idea that rules create trust. There's something almost architectural about it. You can picture the committees, the drafts, the meticulous attention