(Reuters) – Bitcoin rallied for a third straight day after hitting its highest level since mid-April, boosted by BlackRock’s plan to create a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) even as the sector faces U.S. regulatory scrutiny.
BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, filed last week for the exchange which would allow investors to get stakes in the asset class. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that EDX Markets, a crypto exchange backed by Citadel Securities, Fidelity and Schwab had started operations.
The global cryptocurrency industry has been caught in the crosshairs of the U.S. securities regulator on alleged violations of securities laws. Earlier this month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued major crypto exchanges including Coinbase and Binance.
Bitcoin, the world’s biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, was last up 5.5% on Wednesday at 29,881.00 after hitting a high of $30,755.00. It is up roughly 81% for the year-to-date.
“It started with BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF filing and now others are following,” said Edward Moya, a senior market analyst at OANDA. “Who needs regulatory clarity if you see BlackRock making a move?”
But he cautioned that while “Bitcoin momentum may last a little longer” the sector needs to “hear good news from the SEC to see a sustained rally target in the mid-$30,000 region.”
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Ether, the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, rose 4.8% to $1,877.70.
(Reporting by Juby Babu in Bengaluru, Megan Davies and Sinéad Carew in New York; Additional reporting by Hannah Lang; Editing by Chris Reese and Richard Chang)