Bitcoin, the world's most popular cryptocurrency, almost reached $8,500 on Saturday, setting another record.
Earlier this month, the price of bitcoin fell to $5,500 following the scrapping of the SegWit2X update that made some miners and investors shift to offshoot bitcoin cash.
However, the cryptocurrency returned to growth and surpassed $7,000 on news that the Chicago Mercantile Exchange would start trading futures on the digital currency.
Analyst: Bitcoin Could Be Temporary Bubble, But People Aren't Betting on That
Bitcoin started the year just above $1,000, and the overall growth now is approaching 850 percent. The cryptocurrency's market capitalization has reached $142 billion, making it more valuable than corporations like Siemens, Mastercard, British American Tobacco or McDonald's.
Bitcoin is the first international decentralized digital currency. The system works without a single administrator or central repository, while transactions between people are made directly without an intermediary.
The currency was released as open-source software in 2009 by an unknown person or group under the name of Satoshi Nakamoto.