Muscat: Bitcoin today surged past $78,000 during trading, driven by market optimism over the extension of the US-Iran ceasefire and a series of record-breaking institutional purchases that bolstered investor confidence. The world's largest cryptocurrency rose 2.7 percent to $78,018.4, after touching $78,430.4 earlier in the session, extending its winning streak to a third consecutive day.

According to Oman News Agency, gains were broad-based, with Ethereum climbing 3.2 percent to $2,391.53 and XRP advancing 1.3 percent to $1.46. Solana, Cardano, and Polygon each rose 2.5 percent, while Dogecoin gained 2.3 percent.

Analysts attributed the rally to President Donald Trump's announcement of an indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran, a move financial markets interpreted as a sign of near-term de-escalation in the Middle East. On the institutional front, MicroStrategy boosted sentiment by disclosing the purchase of an additional 34,164 bitcoins for $2.5 billion during the week ending 19 April 2026, at an average price of $74,395 per coin. With the transaction, the company's total holdings rose to about 815,000 bitcoins, with a total investment value nearing $61.6 billion.