Bitcoin set for worst weekly slide since 2015 as scrutiny rises

Bitcoin slumped again on Friday, leaving the largest cryptocurrency heading for its worst weekly performance in three years as regulators around the world step up scrutiny out of concerns ranging from investor losses to strains on power systems.

Bitcoin was trading at $13,019 as of 8.24 a.m. Hong Kong time, putting it on track for a 22 per cent slide this week, the deepest since January 2015, according to Bloomberg composite pricing. The token is down about 33 per cent from its mid-December peak, which came just after the introduction of futures trading on regulated exchanges in Chicago.

Among the