Investing.com - Bitcoin prices ticked higher on Thursday, re-approaching the record high near $3,500 per coin set earlier in the week, while Bitcoin Cash faded.
On the U.S.-based Bitfinex exchange, Bitcoin was last at $3,393.3, up $34.7 or 1.03% from its previous close.
It rose as high as $3,482.9 on Tuesday, the latest in a series of all-time highs.
Bitcoin has more than tripled this year and has gained around 18% so far this month.
Tuesday’s fresh highs came as new software called Segregated Witness, or SegWit was adopted by the blockchain supporting Bitcoin, which will improve transaction speed on the Bitcoin network.
The SegWit rollout, which will take two weeks to fully implement, is seen as a milestone for Bitcoin.
The software was developed as a solution to the cryptocurrency’s scaling problem, which led to a split or so-called ‘hard fork’ on August 1 when the blockchain supporting Bitcoin split into two, creating Bitcoin Cash.
Bitcoin Cash was lower, sliding 2.53% or $8.00 to $308.00 as traders sold off the new cryptocurrency in favor of Bitcoin.
Bitcoin’s recent strong gains have added to fears over a crypto-bubble.
Elsewhere in cryptocurrency trading, Ethereum, Bitcoin’s closest rival in terms of market cap, ticked higher, rising 1.66% or $5.01 to $306.08.
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