Long the financial refuge of Libertarians, conspiracy theorists, and dark web ne'er-do-wells, the digital currency Bitcoin has reached new heights by surpassing the per-unit value of Gold for the first time.

The price of one Bitcoin as of this writing was around US$1,270, according to the various exchanges.  The price of an ounce of gold is US$1,235, according to Oklahoma-based precious metals retailer APMEX.  Boosters of the unregulated cryptocurrency say this is proof that it is "digital gold" and has come of age.

If you had purchased Bitcoins at this time last year, you'd be doing pretty well.  A year ago, Bitcoins traded at US$421.60 each.  The value is now roughly three times that investment.  By comparison, the price of Gold is negligibly higher than a year ago.  "Gold has been going up but it hasn't been rising as rapidly as Bitcoin," digital currency trader Brian Kelly said.

One possible reason for Bitcoin's rise is anticipation of a favorable decision due this month from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  The US regulator is considering whether to approve a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) proposed by venture capitalist twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.  If the SEC says "yes", the ETF would have to buy an estimated US$300 million worth of Bitcoin, potentially doubling the value of the intangible currency.

"Bitcoin has inherit benefits over gold that gold can't compete with," said Adam White, head of DGAX, the largest U.S.-based digital currency exchange.  "Bitcoin is not going away.  This new asset class, which Bitcoin represents the first of, is sticking around."