Bitcoin surpasses $50,000 for the first time since 2021

(AFP) For the first time in more than two years, the value of Bitcoin surpassed $50,000 on Tuesday, driven by investor optimism that the United States will permit additional exchanges in this currency, thereby increasing demand.

Since Jan. 22, the cryptocurrency has appreciated 25% and reached an exchange value of $50,328, according to Bloomberg data, its highest level since late 2021.

At 03:30 GMT on Tuesday, the bitcoin had fallen slightly to $49,950.

The currency is still far from its record value of nearly $69,000 in 2020, but this progress marks a recovery after a series of scandals that rocked the cryptocurrency industry.

The most resounding was the collapse of FTX, the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange platform, and the arrest of its co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who faces up to 110 years in prison for what prosecutors describe as "one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history."

In November, Changpeng "CZ" Zhao resigned as CEO of Binance, the largest crypto exchange platform, after acknowledging that he and the company had violated U.S. anti-money laundering laws.