Google Finance has added crypto prices to the finance.google.com domain. The section, titled “Crypto,” now appears in the “Compare Markets” category alongside conventional stock and currency markets. The section provides key pricing information for various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH).
Google's parent, Alphabet, also owns video platform YouTube — which has consistently irked crypto users by banning educational and news content, often seemingly at random. Cointelegraph and CoinDesk, the two largest publications in the crypto news space, have both been subject to suspensions that have subsequently been overturned after the video streaming platform confirmed they were not in violation of YouTube's terms of service.
The cryptocurrency market has attracted mainstream attention over the past year, as institutional investors and corporations have started to invest in the asset class. Their involvement helped launch the cryptocurrency market cap past $1 trillion in January. The crypto market cap would eventually peak north of $1.7 trillion in February before experiencing a pullback. At current values, the digital asset class is worth over $1.4 trillion.
Both retail adoption and institutional interest has been growing rapidly over the last three months. And with major firms like Tesla and Mastercard actively embracing cryptocurrencies, the need for clearer regulation is growing, according to United States Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce.
Calls for clearer guidelines on digital assets will likely grow louder as the bull market heats up. In the meantime, Peirce says, the new Biden administration can provide a fresh look at the regulatory aspect.