Bitcoin (BTC) Hits New All-Time High as Tesla Drops in a Cool $1.5 Billion

Tesla, the world’s favorite electric car manufacturer, has announced a $1.5 billion injection into Bitcoin, sending the king of cryptocurrencies to new highs.

Within minutes of the announcement, Bitcoin catapulted past its previous high of $42,000, very nearly cracking the $44,000 barrier before a mild correction. It currently sits just about $43,000 but we expect to see some more volatility and further growth as the news spreads.

The official announcement follows several hints dropped by Telsa CEO and world’s richest man, Elon Musk, about his faith in Bitcoin. Two weeks ago, Musk changed his Twitter profile to the hashtag #Bitcoin, followed by a cryptic message simply stating “In retrospect, it was inevitable”. That announcement alone gave Bitcoin a massive 20 percent boost in value, although the gains dissipated quickly.

Musk’s Crazy Crypto Journey

Musk’s support for Bitcoin came at a time when financial markets around the world were faced with mounting instability following the WallStreetBets and GameStop saga that nearly bankrupted massive US hedge fund Melvin Capital. The fallout forced popular trading app Robinhood to halt trading, leading to widespread controversy and driving many traditional investors to consider cryptocurrency.

Musk has also been promoting the least likely of digital assets, the joke meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin (DOGE). He did so in a series of bizarre tweets involving photoshopped Lion King imagery that led many to wonder if Musk’s Twitter account had in fact been hacked. However, it seems the tweets were genuine, helping to send Dogecoin to new highs and secure it a place in the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap. At the time of writing, Dogecoin is up 104 percent in the past 7 days with a market growth of $6 billion.

Buy a Tesla with BTC

Along with the $1.5 billion investment, Tesla has also announced that it plans to start accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment. In its annual financial report, presented to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company outlines its plan to begin accepting cryptocurrency payments.

“Moreover, we expect to begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment for our products in the near future, subject to applicable laws and initially on a limited basis, which we may or may not liquidate upon receipt,” the report reads.

The news is undoubtedly one of the biggest boosts for cryptocurrency since Bitcoin was birthed over a decade ago. With the backing of one of the world’s most successful and forward-thinking tech companies, many more businesses around the world are likely to begin accepting payments in crypto.