Bitcoin surges to new record as major firms flock to crypto

KEY POINTS

• Bitcoin surged to an all-time high of $49,951 late Monday, just inches away from the $50,000 level.
• The digital coin has gotten a boost from large firms like Tesla and Mastercard warming to crypto.
• Bitcoin's price more than quadrupled in 2020 and is up more than 60% since the start of this year.

Tesla, led by Elon Musk, confirmed that it purchased about $ 1.5 billion in bitcoin in January and expects to start accepting it as a payment in the future.

Artur Widak | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Bitcoin's price reached a new record high of almost $50,000, as major Fortune 500 companies showed support for digital currencies.

The world's largest cryptocurrency by market value surged to an all-time high of $49,951 late Monday, just inches away from the $50,000 level, according to data from industry website CoinDesk.

The digital asset pared back some of its gains early Tuesday, rising 3.3% in the last 24 hours to a price of around $49,167.

The digital coin has gotten a boost from news of large firms like Tesla, Mastercard and BNY Mellon warming to cryptocurrencies.

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Tesla revealed it had bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin in a filing last week and said it would soon accept payments in the digital coin.

Mastercard said Thursday that it would support certain cryptocurrencies later this year, while BNY Mellon announced the following day it would open up its custody services to digital assets.

Bitcoin's price more than quadrupled in 2020 and is up more than 60% since the start of this year. Bulls say it's down to heightened demand from institutional investors and a perception of the digital coin as a store of value similar to gold. But bears worry bitcoin may be one of the biggest market bubbles in history.