UPDATED 21:21 EDT / OCTOBER 22 2017

EMERGING TECH

Bitcoin hits new record high as Australia, South Korea consider new regulations

Bitcoin hit new record highs over the weekend as both Australia and South Korea consider new regulations for the cryptocurrency sector.

Following a rapid rise Oct. 13, The price of bitcoin surged through $6,000 for the first time Friday before hitting a peak of $6,148.82 Saturday. Traders decided to take profits at that point, with the price dropping back below $6,000 as of late Sunday night.

Bitcoin’s latest price rise is being credited to a number of different theories, with the most popular relating to a new bitcoin fork that is due to take place on Oct. 25. Called “Bitcoin Gold,” the new fork will see those holding bitcoin being credited with the same amount in the new cryptocurrency, leading CNBC to speculate that at least some were buying into bitcoin for the opportunity of being issued “free money.”

A previous fork in bitcoin called Bitcoin Cash that was issued in August initially had mixed fortunes before starting a steady rise upward in value in line with the price increases in bitcoin itself. What some cryptocurrency investors are hoping is that Bitcoin Gold will follow a similar path.

In what could be a good sign for those hoping to score big on Bitcoin Gold, seven major Japanese bitcoin exchanges have said they will support the fork. That means that unlike Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold will have wide acceptance from Day One.

In related bitcoin news, Australia looks set to be the latest country to regulate cryptocurrency with a local report suggesting the Australian parliament will vote on new anti-money-laundering laws legislation later this week. The rules would see bitcoin along with other cryptocurrencies placed under the purview of financial intelligence regulator AUSTRAC, and for the first time exchanges within the country will be required to be registered.

In Asia, South Korea is once again talking about cryptocurrency regulations after having banned initial coin offerings in September. According to reports, the country’s finance minister Kim Dong-yeon told local media that he was “reviewing the role of virtual currencies such as bitcoin.” Perhaps suggesting that the country could crack down on or even ban cryptocurrencies outright, he added that “currently, the finance committee is preparing countermeasures against virtual money at the level of the government, and it should be dealt with as an axis of the economy in the financial sector.”

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