Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Aug 21, 2026

Bitcoin reaches $16K, highest level since 2018

Bitcoin reaches $16K, highest level since 2018

Bitcoin on Thursday reached a record valuation of $16,118, its highest level since 2018. The cryptocurrency is up 123% year-over-year and 50% this quarter, according to data from the California-based digital currency exchange Coinbase.

"At a high level, there's no question the pandemic has had an impact on the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies themselves, but that's not the only factor," Joseph Guagliardo, a technology and blockchain lawyer at Troutman Pepper, told FOX Business.



The pandemic has created "concern over U.S. inflation and global inflation," making Bitcoin something of a "digital gold and a safe haven," he said.

The other factor, according to Guagliardo, is that "the underlying technology" and infrastructure used to create cryptocurrencies like bitcoin "is starting to reach a level of maturity," prompting investors to get more involved.

"It's a perfect storm situation. ... I can tell you that there are forces going on beyond the pandemic that are going on with cryptocurrency and technology," he said.

Guagliardo mentioned Ethereum, a type of blockchain technology that "has been very widely adopted" and has matured significantly since the 2017-2018 time period when people first started showing more interest in blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Additionally, companies like Microsoft, AT&T, Overstock.com and Twitch have adopted bitcoin as a form of payment. PayPal announced in October that it had launched a new service for users to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency on the platform.


"The shift to digital forms of currencies is inevitable, bringing with it clear advantages in terms of financial inclusion and access; efficiency, speed and resilience of the payments system; and the ability for governments to disburse funds to citizens quickly," Dan Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal, said in an Oct. 21 statement.

There is, however, still room for caution, as Harvard economics professor Ken Rogoff told FOX Business' "Mornings with Maria" on Thursday.

"I'm a bit of a bitcoin skeptic," Rogoff said. "I think it'll have some role on the outskirts of our financial ecosystem, but it surprised me how well it's done."

Guagliardo said potential investors should understand cryptocurrency and how it works before investing the same way investors should understand companies.

"My first advice to anyone who is looking to crypto as an investment is to first understand what it is -- what the technology is," he said. "If they're going to buy bitcoin or Etheruem, first understand the technology ... at the end of the day, they're making an investment in a technology and they should understand that first like they would understand a company and what they do."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
A Sleepless Night on Wall Street: Nasdaq to Begin Nearly Round-the-Clock Trading
"The First in the World": 69-Year-Old Protested Artificial Intelligence—and Went to Jail
Ukraine's Ousted Defence Minister Calls for Wartime Presidential Election
China’s Lifelike AI Humans Move From Livestreams Into Real-World Service Roles
Sarah Ferguson Reportedly Retreats to Late Ex-Boyfriend's Swiss Chalet
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
Thieves Steal Antonello da Messina Renaissance Masterpieces From Sicilian Museum
Better.com Founder Who Fired 900 Employees on Zoom Is Ousted as CEO
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
AI Manager at San Francisco Store Recommends Firing Human Employee
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Welfare Spending by More Than £50 Billion a Year
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Praised Extinction Rebellion for Doing a 'Great Service'
UK Wildfire Phone Alert Triggers Backlash as Users Switch Off Emergency Warnings
Heathrow Roads Reopen After Burst Water Main Floods Access to Terminals 2 and 3
Former NBA Players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Say They Will Enter 2027 WNBA Draft
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
Minnesota: Two independent investigators posed as Muslims (one wearing a burqa) and showed how they could vote in elections without identification.
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Donald Trump Warns FIFA Against Ousting Gianni Infantino Amid Revolt by Global Football Leaders
Jeff Bezos Joins Investor Group Closing In on $6 Billion Liverpool FC Stake
UK Councils to Receive Sweeping Planning Powers to Ban New Vape and Betting Shops
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
×