Dec 17 (Reuters) - Coinbase Global Inc has confidentially applied with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to go public, the company said on Thursday, making it the first major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange to consider a stock-market listing. Coinbase’s announcement comes as Bitcoin rose to a record high on Thursday, just a day after passing the $20,000 milestone for the first time, amid surging interest from larger investors. Reuters reported in July that Coinbase started plans for a stock market listing and was exploring going public via a direct listing instead of a traditional initial public offering (IPO). Coinbase did not specify in its statement whether it would pursue an IPO or a direct listing. bit.ly/3ahJEyB (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D"Silva)