Bitcoin (BTC) is back in its surge mode, hitting an all-time high of $110,724 in the early morning hours. With this milestone, BTC has now surpassed Amazon to become the world’s fifth-largest asset by market capitalization.
Bitcoin Records New ATH
At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $109,980.69, after a 2.80% increase over the past 24 hours. Presently, BTC’s market cap stands at a massive $2.18 trillion, and the 24-hour trading volume has surged by 126.91% to reach $83.35 billion.
Interestingly, today also marks the 15th anniversary of Bitcoin Pizza Day, which is a date that commemorates the first commercial transaction made with Bitcoin. On May 22, 2010, Florida-based programmer Laszlo Hanyecz purchased two Papa John’s pizzas for 10,000 BTC, worth about $40 at the time. Fifteen years later, those same Bitcoins are now valued at nearly $1.1 billion. For comparison, the market capitalization of Papa John’s International, Inc. is currently only $16.55 billion.
Bitcoin Surge Effect: El Salvador, MetaPlanet, and Strategy Reveal Massive Unrealized Profits
Bitcoin’s all-time high has significantly boosted the profits of several major holders, including El Salvador, Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), and the Japanese firm MetaPlanet.
El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele shared a screenshot revealing that the current value of the country’s national Bitcoin holdings is approx $678 million. This represents an unrealized gain of about $386 million, a 132.35% increase from the country’s total cumulative investment of around $292 million. Responding to critics, President Bukele remarked, “They say not to take screenshots, but to take profits.”
Strategy currently holds 576,230 BTC, acquired at a total cost of approximately $40.18 billion, which is an average of $69,726 per BTC. The company now holds unrealized gains of about $23.04 billion.
Meanwhile, MetaPlanet holds 7,800 BTC, purchased at an average historical price of 13.51 million yen per BTC (approximately $94.17 million USD in total). MetaPlanet’s unrealized gains are estimated at around $121 million USD.
Optimism in the Crypto Community
The surge has sent a wave of optimism throughout the crypto community. Antoni Trenchev, co-founder of the digital asset trading platform Nexo, noted, “Now that January’s high has been surpassed and the 50% upside from April’s lows has been achieved, Bitcoin enters blue sky territory, with tailwinds in the form of institutional momentum and a favorable US regulatory environment.”
He added that, despite macroeconomic uncertainty and the potential for continued volatility, a target of $150,000 in 2025 remains very much within reach.
Also Read: BTC Price Prediction 2025: Why $135,000 Is Still a Target
