Bitcoin scorches past $57,000 as big buyers flock in

Bitcoin rose by as much 4.3% to $57,036, its highest since late 2021. It was last up 3.6% at $56,636, while ether rose by as much as 2.7% to $3,273, its highest since April 2022.

"There's only so much supply ... but the demand unleashed by the US spot ETFs seems to be relentless," said Justin d'Anethan, head of partnerships in Asia at Keyrock, a digital asset market maker.

A major incentive right now is the bitcoin halving event in April. This process is designed to slow the release of Bitcoin, whose supply is capped at 21 million - of which 19 million have already been mined - by cutting the reward for producing the tokens in half.

Bitcoin has gained 32% in value so far in February, heading for its largest one-month gain since January 2023, and momentum is building beyond the investment community.

Social media platform Reddit, which on February 22 filed to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, said it had invested a small portion of its excess cash reserves in bitcoin, opened a new tab, ether and matic, the native token of the Polygon network, as a form of payment for sales of certain virtual goods.

Ether has risen at an even faster pace this month, heading for a 41% gain. Anticipation is growing among market participants over the possible regulatory approval of spot ether ETFs, which has helped this latest rise in price.

"The prospect of a spot Ethereum ETF is a further development for traders and investors alike after the recent launch of a variety of bitcoin ETFs," DailyFX senior strategist Nick Crawley said in a note.

"It represents a further maturation of the cryptocurrency market and a recognition of Ethereum's role in the future of cryptocurrencies within the financial system."

Shares of crypto exchange Coinbase rose 5.2% in US premarket trading, while bitcoin miners Marathon Digital and Riot Platforms climbed 8.3% and 4.5%, respectively.

The largest bitcoin ETF Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, opens new tab rose 4.3%.