Bitcoin hit an all-time high $82387.50 (R1.5 million) on Monday on optimism that Donald Trump would ease regulations surrounding the cryptocurrency.
The digital currency passed $80000 for the first time in its history on Sunday.
It has been rising since Republican candidate Trump won last Tuesday’s US presidential election over sentiment that he will ease regulations on digital currencies.
“The odds that Bitcoin and crypto will become a significantly larger asset class have risen markedly,” said Charles Morris, an analyst at investment company ByteTree.
Bitcoin reached $75,000 on Wednesday, topping its previous all-time peak of $73797.98 achieved in March.
“We shouldn’t expect this bullish trend to be interrupted for a long time — about a year. The next level for me is $100000,”said Stephane Ifrah of French crypto asset management company Coinhouse.
Trump has pledged to make the US the “bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world,” and to put tech billionaire and right-wing conspiracy theorist Elon Musk in charge of a wide-ranging audit of governmental waste.
Cryptocurrencies have made headlines since their creation, from their extreme volatility to the collapse of several industry giants, foremost among them the FTX exchange platform.
In the run-up to the election, Trump apparently became the first former president to use bitcoin in a purchase, as he bought burgers at a New York City restaurant, which hailed it as a “historic transaction”.
Bitcoin is listed continuously, including on Sundays.
AFP