Bitcoin surges past $51,000 level

Bitcoin rallied to a new record-high, surpassing $51,000 for the first time in history amid growing signs that corporates are accepting it as a medium of exchange, and as unprecedented central bank stimulus pushes financial markets to previously unseen levels.

The flagship cryptocurrency, which has the highest market value of all digital assets, rallied to as high as $51,735.38 before trading at $51,627.94 as of 11.56am local time. Bitcoin has now surged more than 80% so far in 2021 as growing interest from institutional investors and listed companies lends increasing legitimacy to the digital currency…