Bitcoin hits new high, topping $66,000, on mainstream hopes for cryptocurrency

Bitcoin jumped to a record high Wednesday morning, topping $66,000, as the cryptocurrency rides a wave of excitement about its potential mainstreaming by the financial establishment.

Bitcoin was trading at $66,386.21 as of 1:30 p.m. EST. It's rallied back after sinking below $30,000 during the summer to top its prior record set in April of nearly $64,889, according to Coindesk.

The launch Tuesday of the first exchange-traded fund linked to bitcoin attracted huge interest from investors looking to get into the surging field of cryptocurrencies. Some 24 million shares of the ProShares BitCoin Strategy ETF were exchanged in a resounding debut day that generated a share price rise of more than 4%.