NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - Bitcoin surged past US$13,000 (S$17,620) for the first time since July 2019 after PayPal Holdings announced it will allow customers to use cryptocurrencies.

The largest digital coin increased US$950, or 8 per cent during tradition trading hours in New York. It climbed another 2 per cent to US$13,119 in early Asian trading. Gains among so-called alt coins were even bigger on Wednesday, with Litecoin jumping more than 13 per cent and Bitcoin Cash surging more than 9 per cent.