Bitcoin passed the $60,000 mark, approaching its all-time high and continuing its unbridled rise since the approval of a new type of investment indexed to the cryptocurrency

On Wednesday, Bitcoin surged past the $60,000 threshold, nearing its previous record high as it maintained its rapid ascent following the approval of a new investment vehicle linked to the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin peaked at $61,360, edging closer to its all-time high of $68,991 set in November 2021, a milestone that analysts speculate is attainable. By approximately 16:15 GMT, it was trading at $61,102.

Since their approval on January 10 by US securities regulators, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) indexed to bitcoin have theoretically enabled a wider public to invest in the cryptocurrency without having to hold it directly. The funds themselves, however, do invest in the digital currency.

The expected approval of the new investment product had contributed in recent months to a rise in its price, which had largely fallen by the end of 2022 following the bankruptcy of several crypto giants.

The US launch of ETFs or ETPs (exchange-traded products) has "injected a fresh wave of optimism, propelling trading volumes and spotlighting crypto-linked firms", notes Mikkel Morch of specialist fund ARK36.

The instruments are comparable to stocks or mutual funds as far as accessibility to everyday investors.

Some investors eager to recoup their bets had initially triggered a wave of mass withdrawals from the GBTC (Grayscale Bitcoin Trust) fund, once it had been converted into an ETF.

But once the selling fever subsided, flows into US bitcoin ETFs, such as that offered by asset management giant BlackRock, increased.

Exchange-listed cryptoasset-linked investment products have attracted around $5.7 billion since the start of the year, according to calculations by asset manager CoinShares published on Monday.

- 'Institutional endorsement' -

As further evidence of "the growing institutional endorsement that's fuelling this rally" in prices, Morch said, software company MicroStrategy announced on Monday that it had purchased a further 3,000 bitcoins (then worth $155 million).

The transaction brought its total bitcoin holdings to 193,000 bitcoins (about $6.09 billion).