The US Securities and Exchange Commission voted on 1o January to allow mainstream investors to buy and sell bitcoin as easily as stocks and mutual funds, a decision hailed by the industry as a game changer.

The SEC decision clears the way for the first US exchange-traded funds that hold bitcoin to be sold to the public. Expectations of US regulatory approval for such funds drove the price of bitcoin to the highest level in about two years. The digital currency traded just below $46,000 late on 10 January, up from $17,000 in January 2023.