A few short years ago, few would have believed it possible, but it happened: bitcoin has traded above $100,000 for the first time.

Global adoption of the world’s largest digital asset by market cap is getting harder to ignore. We’re no longer talking about magic internet money favored by tech enthusiasts. We’re talking about a serious financial asset that central banks, corporations and even national governments are now paying close attention to.

Consider the most recent developments: El Salvador, the first nation to adopt bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, has reported more than $333 million in bitcoin profits.

And in the United States, everyone’s talking about the incoming Trump administration’s plans to establish its own strategic bitcoin reserve.

MORE THAN DIGITAL GOLD

Part of bitcoin’s allure is that it shares many characteristics with gold. In early December, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said he believes b