A fresh price surge on 13 August lifted Bitcoin’s market capitalisation past those of Alphabet and Amazon, making the cryptocurrency the world’s fifth-largest asset by value, according to global market-cap rankings. The advance returns Bitcoin to a position it has held only briefly during previous rallies. The milestone comes as academic research from a Colorado State University professor concludes that Bitcoin has moved from the “early adoption” to the “early majority” phase of technology diffusion—a transition the internet reached roughly a decade after its initial uptake. Together, the new ranking and the adoption study underscore growing mainstream acceptance of the 15-year-old digital asset.