Bitcoin price today: hits new high above $103k as Trump picks pro-crypto SEC Chair

Bitcoin rose sharply to record highs above the coveted $100,000 level on Thursday as traders cheered President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of a pro-crypto candidate to lead the SEC. 

The world’s largest cryptocurrency broke out of a trading range seen in the past two weeks after Trump ended speculation over his pick for the SEC Chair by nominating former commissioner Paul Atkins. Atkins has openly expressed support for digital assets.

Bitcoin rose 7.6% to a record high of $103,719.4, before slightly retreating to $103,090.0 as of 08:48 ET (13:48 GMT).

“Bitcoin's ascent towards $100,000 is a pivotal moment that reflects decades of innovation and the relentless spirit of the crypto community," Alicia Kao, managing partner at KuCoin told Investing.com.

"It's exhilarating to be at the forefront of this industry during such transformative times. This milestone is not just a number—it's a signal that the financial landscape is evolving. After being in the industry for many years it's been a privilege to witness and contribute to our collective journey towards broader adoption and recognition of cryptocurrency.” Atkins to replace Gensler, potentially ending SEC’s crypto crusade

Atkins will replace incumbent SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who said he will step down as Trump takes office in January.

Genseler had led a two-year crackdown on alleged bad actors in the crypto industry, launching enforcement action against several major companies, including Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN ) and Ripple , over allegations of selling illegal securities. 

Atkins- who is a seasoned financial regulator- is expected to adopt a less strict stance against crypto. He has advocated for deregulation and has expressed support for digital assets. 

“Atkins… recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump said in a social media post. 

Altcoin XRP was one of the biggest beneficiaries of speculation over Atkins’ nomination. The token rallied to six-year highs this week on hopes that the SEC will drop its long running lawsuit against issuer Ripple. 

Trump is also expected to potentially shift regulatory oversight for crypto to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from the SEC. Fed’s Powell compares Bitcoin to gold 

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell compared Bitcoin to gold in a Wednesday address.

Speaking at a New York Times (NYSE:NYT ) event, Powell said Bitcoin was a competitor for gold, not the dollar, in that traders treated it as a speculative asset rather than a usable currency.  BlackRock (NYSE:BLK )'s Bitcoin ETF hits $50bn in AUM in record time

As Bitcoin exceeded the $100,000 threshold, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ:IBIT ) has hit $50 billion in assets under management in just 228 days, setting a record as the fastest ETF to hit this milestone.

This pace is more than five times quicker than the previous record set by BlackRock’s iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA), which took 1,329 days to reach the same level, according to Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs like IBIT have played a key role in introducing traditional investors to the cryptocurrency market. Crypto price today: Altcoins mostly upbeat on Trump hopes 

Broader crypto prices also mostly rose in anticipation of friendlier policies under Trump.

World no.1 altcoin Ether rose 6% to $3,929.53

XRP slid over 6% as traders locked-in recent profits from a sharp melt-up in the token. 

Cardano added 1.2%, while Solana climbed 3.7%. Polygon lost 0.2%, although all three tokens were sitting on strong gains in recent weeks.

Meme tokens fared much better, with Dogecoin up more than 10%. The coin was likely referenced by Trump with the formation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will be co-led by Dogecoin enthusiast Elon Musk.

Ambar Warrick contributed to this report. 

Source: Investing.com