Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

SEC and CFTC bypass Congress to open crypto access after CLARITY fails – with a catch

Two days after the US Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act, federal regulators opened two narrower routes for crypto-linked market access under existing law.　　The Securities and Exchange Commission created a five-year path for permissioned venues to trade tokenized US stocks through automated market makers. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission broadened staff no-action relief so qualifying software providers can connect users to regulated derivatives markets without registering as introducing brokers for the covered activity.　　The actions can support real products, but they do not recreate market-structure legislation. The SEC route is capped and conditional. The CFTC route still relies on registered derivatives firms for onboarding, trading and custody, and it rests on a staff position that can change.　　The SEC turns existing authority into a five-year test　　The timing was direct. On Sept. 15, senators voted 49-50 against cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3633, according to the official roll call. That was a procedural failure to advance the CLARITY Act, not a final vote on the bills merits.　　On Sept. 17, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins connected the congressional setback to the Commissions next move. In a statement accompanying the Innovation Exemption, Atkins said the agency was acting within its existing statutory

09-18Industry

HYPE hits record above $90 as Hyperliquid launches manual borrowing

HYPE, the native cryptocurrency of the Hyperliquid layer-1 blockchain and decentralized trading platform, set a fresh all-time high above $90 on Friday as the protocol rolled out manual borrowing.　　HYPE surged as high as $90.92 shortly after Hyperliquid announced users can now supply HYPE and Bitcoin as collateral to borrow the stablecoins USDC and Tethers USDt (USDT).　　“Manual borrows are live on Hyperliquid,” the protocol said, adding that the feature and its portfolio-margin system use the same underlying HyperCore infrastructure. Hyperliquid co-founder Jeff Yan said the design means every borrowed asset comes from a supplier rather than being created through platform-level margin accounting.　　Hyperliquid (HYPE) all-time price chart. Source: CoinGecko　　The new feature lets users borrow USDC or USDT directly against HYPE or Bitcoin collateral, extending direct access to borrowing beyond Hyperliquids portfolio margin system. Hyperliquid reported $269 million in assets borrowed across the underlying infrastructure on Friday.　　The rollout comes two days after Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, on Wednesday announced plans to deploy onchain perpetual futures markets for US clients, starting with Hyperliquids HIP-3 markets.

09-18Industry

Dragonflys Qureshi calls for end to Zcash dev fund after 2028

Crypto-focused venture capital firm Dragonflys managing partner, Haseeb Qureshi, proposed winding down the Zcash developer fund after it expires under current rules in 2028.　　“Im of the opinion that this should be the final Dev Fund,” wrote Qureshi in a Friday X post, arguing that the fund is large enough to fund remaining work on Zcash and that it risks being “politicized” as it approaches $100 million in value.　　The Zcash development fund held 63,962 Zcash (ZEC) tokens at press time, worth about $95 million, according to ZecStats.　　The remarks follow a broader industry debate that stemmed from the fund‘s increasing value, following the ZEC token’s rally. Others argued that Zcash should maintain its development fund. Paradigm founder Matt Huang argued in a Wednesday X post that the fund is particularly important “in this age of AI cyber capabilities” and rapid quantum progress.　　Zcash pools, including the dev fund, also known as the lockbox. Source: ZecStats　　The ZEC development fund is a protocol development fund that accrues 0.1875 ZEC tokens per block, representing 12% of the block subsidy under the NU6 upgrade. Its balance sits outside circulation until governance disbursement.　　Related: Zcash holders back 25-second blocks, vote to keep ZEC halving schedule　　Industry split over who should

09-18Industry

XRP Price Forecast: ETF Inflows Beat Bitcoin Again

XRP is trading at $1.3351, up 3.01% on the day. This week for the first time the chart and ETF tape are telling opposite stories, making this an intriguing XRP price forecast.　　Spot XRP funds shed 3.97 million XRP on Sept. 17. Canary‘s XRPC losing 1.06 million and 21Shares’ TOXR 2.91 million: roughly $5.3 million at current prices. That wiped out the prior session‘s 2.73 million XRP inflow from Franklin Templeton’s XRPZ and snapped the zero-redemption streak that defined the week.　　The flow leadership flipped alongside it. Bitcoin spot ETFs took in a net 2,090 BTC on Sept. 17, their first green session after shedding 3,910 BTC and 5,760 BTC on the two prior days, with BlackRock‘s IBIT adding 2,410 BTC against modest redemptions at Fidelity and Bitwise’s HODL.　　Ethereum funds stayed negative but bled less: 16,260 ETH out, versus 93,490 ETH the day before, almost entirely from BlackRocks ETHA. The backdrop is a Federal Reserve rate hike on Wednesday, which is still working through risk assets.　　Cumulative XRP ETF inflows remain at 923.66 million XRP since launch, so one red session doesnt undo the structural bid. It does sharpen the question at the center of any XRP price forecast today: is a 3%

09-18Industry

Bitcoin adds to bull-market hopes as price metric prints fourth-ever bullish cross

Bitcoin (BTC) is showing strong signs that its latest long-term floor is already in, according to a classic trading indicator.　　Key points:In August, the Fisher Transform indicator delivered a monthly bullish crossover for only the fourth time in Bitcoins history, according to Willy Woo.Previous monthly crossovers accompanied the end of Bitcoin bear markets, including in late 2022, when the Fisher Transform Indicator hit -3.83.A bullish divergence continued on weekly time frames, echoing the closing stages of the 2022 BTC price downtrend.　　Analyst sees evidence of clean BTC price reversal　　In an X thread on Friday, analyst Willy Woo flagged key readings from the Fisher Transform indicator, a price trend analysis tool created in 2002.　　The indicator smooths an assets price action to create a readable trend-strength chart. Market prices tend to spend more time around extreme values than ordinary statistical data. The Fisher transform corrects this by applying a log-based transform.　　The indicator is formed of two trend lines, the Fisher line and the trigger line, that fluctuate on a scale with zero at its center. The trigger line is derived from the Fisher line, plotted with a delay of one period.　　Woo shows that for Bitcoin, a sharp upward reversal in Fisher, where its two

09-18Industry

Kevin OLeary buys crypto again as he eyes next blockchain adoption wave

Kevin OLeary has returned to buying new cryptocurrency positions for the next market cycle while watching for a major stock exchange to adopt blockchain infrastructure, a development he expects could influence which network gains institutional traction.　　SummaryKevin OLeary is buying new crypto positions as he prepares for the next market cycle and looks for networks gaining institutional adoption.OLeary said the first major stock exchange to adopt a blockchain could become a watershed moment for the crypto industry.OLeary does not expect the CLARITY Act to pass before the midterms but believes digital asset tax policy will keep regulation on the agenda.OLeary sees Bitcoin potentially accounting for 1% to 3% of institutional alternative asset allocations.　　According to comments made to The Block at the Avalanche Summit in New York, the OLeary Ventures chairman said he is placing new bets as he tries to identify which blockchain could gain widespread use and where that adoption will emerge.　　“I‘m back in the saddle buying new positions, putting my bets on for this next cycle,” O’Leary said.　　His investment approach is focused less on picking individual crypto assets in isolation and more on determining which underlying network could become a standard for a major industry. Conversations with executives have

09-18Industry

Binance keeps MiCA plans intact despite Lagarde intervention report

Binance has kept its European licensing plans open after declining to address a report that European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde intervened in its failed Greek MiCA application.　　According to a Sept. 18 Wall Street Journal report, a vice chair of Greece‘s Hellenic Capital Market Commission told Binance that Lagarde had asked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis not to approve the exchange’s application. The account has not been publicly confirmed by Lagarde, the ECB or the Greek regulator.　　“We will not comment on speculation,” a Binance spokesperson said in response to the report. The exchange maintained that it remains committed to securing authorization under the European Unions Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation, or MiCA.　　“In Europe, Binance remains committed to operating on a long-term, compliant basis under the EUs Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation,” the spokesperson said.　　Binance Greek MiCA bid was reportedly close to approval　　Greek officials had informed the European Securities and Markets Authority in early June that the HCMC intended to approve Binances application, according to the Wall Street Journal. The exchange had been preparing for approval weeks earlier and drafted an announcement describing the expected authorization as a major milestone.　　Binance co-CEO Richard Teng was expected to travel to Athens for a meeting

09-18Industry

Stablecoin payments firm dtcpay closes $25M round with SBI backing

Singapore-based stablecoin payments company Dtcpay has completed a $25 million Series A funding round after securing backing from Japanese conglomerate SBI Group.　　On Friday, SBI Holdings said it invested through SBI Ventures Asset and the SBI-NTU-Kyobo Digital Innovation Fund, two Singapore-based investment vehicles managed by the group. Neither SBI nor dtcpay disclosed the size of SBI‘s contribution or the company’s valuation.　　Dtcpay said the investment completed its $25 million Series A, which began with a $10 million tranche led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India in April. Genedant Capital and existing investor Kwee Liong Tek also participated in the round. Dtcpay previously raised $16.5 million in pre-Series A funding in June 2023.　　The company provides infrastructure that allows businesses and individuals to accept, store and transact in stablecoins and fiat currencies. Its services include a real-time stablecoin-to-fiat conversion system, merchant payment terminals and a Visa card that lets customers spend supported stablecoins through the card network.　　The company holds a Major Payment Institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and an Electronic Money Institution license in Luxembourg.　　Dtcpay said the funding would support an expansion of its merchant network and product suite, including a revamped business portal and new consumer features. Meanwhile, SBI

09-18Industry

Hong Kong plans 24/7 CBDC settlement for tokenized deposits by year end

Hong Kong has set plans to bring 24/7 central bank digital currency settlement to its tokenized deposit market by around the end of 2026, while preparing real value CBDC transactions for after hours derivatives trading and tests involving more than HK$1.3 trillion in Exchange Fund Bills.　　SummaryHong Kong plans to introduce 24/7 wholesale CBDC settlement for tokenized deposits under EnsembleTX by the end of 2026.HKEX and the HKMA are preparing real value wholesale CBDC transactions for after hours derivatives trading.HKMA plans tests involving more than HK$1.3 trillion in Exchange Fund Bills as Hong Kong expands its tokenization program.Regulated stablecoins are being explored for tokenized money market fund settlement under Hong Kongs digital asset framework.　　According to Hong Kongs 2026 Policy Address, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority plans to implement CBDC settlement and round the clock operations under EnsembleTX, the pilot phase of Project Ensemble, while continuing to explore new uses for tokenized deposits.　　The plan would give banks access to tokenized central bank money for settlement beyond the operating hours of conventional payment infrastructure. EnsembleTX has been running real value transactions involving digital assets and tokenized deposits during 2026, with the HKMA progressively upgrading the pilot environment to support 24/7 settlement in tokenized

09-18Industry

CLARITY Act needs 3 more senators and a race against the clock for a 2026 revival

Seven Democratic senators said Sept. 16 that CLARITYs failed Senate vote was not the end. The crypto market-structure bill fell short 49-50 the previous day on a procedural motion that needed 60 votes to advance.　　Related Law CLARITY Act: US Digital Asset Market Structure United States · Passed　　Getting from that statement to a law now depends on a compressed legislative calendar, still-unresolved policy disputes, and a House of Representatives that would need to accept whatever the Senate eventually produces.　　Even if all seven signatories switched from “No” to “Yes,” the count would move from 49 to 56, four short of 60. Adding North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis, whose “no” vote was a procedural move preserving his ability to bring the measure back for reconsideration, would push the total to 57, still three votes shy.　　The statement shows real political will to keep negotiating, but it falls far short of describing a coalition capable of clearing the floor.ScenarioYes VotesStill Short of 60What It ShowsSept. 15 cloture result4911The bill failed to advanceSeven Democratic signatories switch to yes564Their support alone would not be enoughSeven Democrats plus Thom Tillis switch573Tillis helps reopen the path but does not solve itMinimum needed for cloture600Supporters still need a broader deal　　Getting

09-18Industry

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