LONDON (Reuters) - Digital currency bitcoin rocketed above $7,000 (£5,288) for the first time ever on Thursday, after a more than sevenfold increase in its value since the start of the year.
Bitcoin has seen eye-watering gains in recent months and has more than doubled in value in the past seven weeks alone
The latest rally was driven by news earlier this week that the world's largest derivatives exchange operator CME Group (O:CME) is to launch bitcoin futures.
The price move takes bitcoin's aggregate value, or "market cap" -- its price multiplied by the number of bitcoins released into circulation -- to more than $117 billion, according to industry website Coinmarketcap.
The aggregate value of all cryptocurrencies is now at a record high of over $190 billion, the website said.