Yesterday, Wednesday, Donald Trump announced his intention to appoint a new head of the US capital market commission, the SEC, after taking office, the Republican lawyer Paul Atkins, who has repeatedly publicly spoken in favor of the further development of cryptocurrencies.

Following this announcement, Bitcoin broke the $100,000 barrier for the first time in history, a milestone hailed by cryptocurrency enthusiasts as the “coming of age”.

Paul Atkins – although he has spoken out publicly against the use of cryptocurrencies for speculative purposes, he is in favor of their wider development. In fact, his stance is diametrically opposed to that of outgoing SEC chairman Gensler, whose tenure was marked by a wave of crackdowns on digital currency players accused of acting illegally.

Last year he publicly criticized SEC officials, saying they should make it “more easy” for companies that created or manage cryptocurrencies, arguing they were driving them out of the US market.

“Paul has a proven appeal to a common sense regulatory framework,” said Mr. Trump via Truth Social. “He believes in strong and innovative financial markets that meet the needs of investors,” he continued. “He recognizes that digital resources are critical to making America greater than ever before,” added the real estate mogul.

“We are witnessing a paradigm shift”

Bitcoin’s run on Wall Street has created millionaires, establishing the concept of “decentralized finance” in a volatile and often controversial period since its creation 16 years ago.

Its value has more than doubled this year and is up more than 50% in the four weeks since Donald Trump’s landslide election victory, which also saw a slew of pro-crypto lawmakers elected to Congress.

Once it broke $100,000 on Thursday morning, it soon surpassed $103,000, reaching as high as $103,335.

“We are witnessing a paradigm shift,” said Mike Novogratz, founder and CEO of US crypto firm Galaxy Digital.

“Bitcoin and the entire digital asset ecosystem are a breath away from entering the financial mainstream, with this momentum fueled by institutional adoption towards a clearer regulatory path.”