INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Bitcoin reached a record-high $20,398.50 before pulling back to $20,145Leading virtual currency bitcoin on Wednesday traded above $20,000
for the first time following a sustained run higher in recent weeks
Just 12 years old, bitcoin reached a record-high $20,398.50 before pulling back to $20,145, which was still an intra-day gain of nearly four
It has seen a meteoric rise since March, when it stood at $5,000, spurred by online payments giant PayPal saying it would enable account
holders to use cryptocurrency
A number of central banks have meanwhile responded to the rise of cryptocurrencies and the dwindling global use of cash by announcing plans
for bank-backed digital units.Several central banks including those of China and Sweden -- but also the US Federal Reserve -- are also
testing digital applications in response to Facebook's recent moves to produce its own digital unit, Libra
Unregulated by any central bank, bitcoin emerged as an attractive option for investors with an appetite for the exotic -- although criminals
have also seen its under-the-radar appeal.Debate has meanwhile raged over the status of the digital asset, launched in late 2008, as to
whether it should be seen as a form of money, an asset or a commodity
After the unit surpassed $1,000 for the first time in 2013, it increasingly began to attract the attention of financial institutions and has
experienced wild price swings.
