New York (AFP) – Bitcoin has captured the limelight in recent weeks as it surged to a new record high, yet another major cryptocurrency, Ether, has been enjoying its own meteoric rise.  Launched in 2015, Ether, also known as Ethereum, is by far the second-largest digital currency in terms of total value, now estimated at over $460 billion. Along with other cryptocurrencies including Solana and Dogecoin, it benefited from the regulatory approval in the United States of a new bitcoin investment product, the exchange traded fund — or ETF — in mid-January, said James Butterfill of the investment…