Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Friday (September 19) as of 9:00 a.m. UTC.
Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.
Bitcoin and Ethereum price update
Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$116,312, a one percent decrease in 24 hours. Its lowest valuation of the day was US$116,111, and its highest was US$117,888.
Bitcoin price performance, September 19, 2025.
Chart via TradingView
Ether (ETH) is similarly range-bound, struggling around $4,550 with minor resistance just overhead. ETH futures funding rate has stayed slightly positive, reflecting modest bullishness, but open interest is not spiking like BTC’s.
Weekly Recap and Market Moves
Last week’s markets were buoyed by major macro developments. The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25bps to 4.25 percent, its first cut of 2025, igniting a risk-on rally in crypto.
Bitcoin briefly broke above the US$117,000 level, and the total crypto market cap climbed back to roughly US$4.19 trillion, up 1.6 percent in 24 hrs. Trading volumes also swelled by around US$210 billion.
On the charts, Bitcoin formed a rising wedge over the past month, with a bearish divergence noted by on-chain analysts. Technically, Bitcoin appears to be in a mild consolidation after last week’s surge. CryptoQuant analyst Axel Adler observes that BTC is trading just above its short-term holder realized price.
In equities, the S&P and Nasdaq hit record highs as crypto pulled back modestly on Friday, reflecting a temporary decoupling.
ETF data & derivatives trends
Institutions were very active. Spot Bitcoin ETFs drew record inflows, with around 20,685 BTC were added in the past week, pushing US ETF holdings to hover around 1.32 million BTC worth US$150 billion.
BlackRock’s IBIT led with US$1 billion in net buys, with Fidelity’s FBTC (US$843 M) and Ark’s ARKB (US$182 M) also drawing large flows. Ethereum, however, garnered lower ETF flows: US ETH-ETFs saw a US$62 million outflow over the week. Overall this ETF demand outpaced new Bitcoin supply by nearly 9 times, underpinning BTC’s recent strength.
Altcoin ETFs are also taking shape: in mid-September the SEC approved the first US ETFs for XRP and Dogecoin. DOGE jumped by 20 percent upon its ETF debut. This altcoin ETF wave, now backed by giants like Grayscale and Franklin Templeton, is reshaping flows and legitimizing more speculative assets.
On the derivatives side, leverage is at a near-record. Bitcoin futures open interest surpassed US$220 billion in September. CryptoQuant notes clusters of orders just above and below spot price, so any sharp swing, even a small break, could trigger “record liquidations.” Funding rates remain mixed but have been mildly positive for Bitcoin, which indicate slight long bias. Taken together, the derivatives data suggest ample fuel for volatility ahead of the Fed next week.
Altcoin price update
- Solana (SOL) was priced at US$242.45, a decrease of 2,2 percent over the last 24 hours. Its highest valuation of the day was US$252.78, while its lowest valuation was US$240.36.
- XRP was trading for US$3.03, down by 3.1 percent in the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation of the day was US$3.02, and its highest value was US$3.13.
- SUI (Sui) was valued at US$3.72, trading at its lowest valuation of the day and down by 5.1 percent over the past 24 hours. Its highest price point today was US$3.97.
- Cardano (ADA) was priced at US$0.9051, down by 1.6 percent over 24 hours. Its highest value of the day was US$0.938, while its lowest valuation was US$0.895.
Today’s crypto news to know
Stablecoin startups post record fundraising, supply heads toward US$1 trillion
Funding for stablecoin-related companies has surged to unprecedented levels this year, with 14 firms raising a combined $537 million so far, according to DefiLlama data.
That figure marks a sharp jump from the $84 million raised across all of 2024, underscoring a wave of investor confidence in fiat-pegged digital assets.
The year’s biggest deal came in July when Hong Kong’s OSL Group secured $300 million to expand its infrastructure and global reach.
Analysts link the momentum to favorable regulatory shifts, including the Genius Act signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump in July, which provided legal clarity for stablecoin issuers.
The sector’s rapid rise is also visible in secondary markets. Circle’s IPO in June, for instance, is now trading at four times its debut value.
Coinbase projects that overall stablecoin supply, already at a record $290 billion, could top $1 trillion by 2028.
Watchdog flags Trump-linked crypto firm for token sales to sanctioned actors
A watchdog group has accused World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency venture tied to US President Donald Trump, of allowing its tokens to flow into the hands of users connected with sanctioned entities.
According to Accountable.us, WLFI tokens ended up with wallets linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, Iran’s Nobitex exchange, and Russian traders, despite long-standing US restrictions.
The report highlights one case on Jan. 20, 2025, when WLFI sold 600,000 tokens, worth roughly US$10,000, on Trump’s inauguration day to a wallet later tied to Lazarus transactions.
Even after DeFi platforms flagged the account, the wallet continued operating until late August, receiving WLFI’s branded USD1 stablecoin as part of an airdrop. Separate sales were traced back to Iran’s Nobitex in October 2024, a platform that Chainalysis has previously identified as a hub for sanctions evasion.
The allegations raise questions over WLFI’s compliance and could intensify regulatory pressure on the company.
Trump’s team has not publicly responded to the claims.
PayPal’s dollar stablecoin expands to nine blockchains
PayPal’s US dollar stablecoin, PYUSD, is expanding to nine new blockchains through a partnership with interoperability protocol LayerZero.
The move broadens the token’s reach beyond its native issuance on Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum, and Stellar, making it accessible across networks like Avalanche, Aptos, Tron, and others.
As part of the rollout, LayerZero created a wrapped version called PYUSD0, which is fully interchangeable with the original token and operates within its Hydra Stargate system.
The expansion is designed to accelerate adoption and cement PYUSD’s role as a dollar-backed instrument across the crypto ecosystem.
Since launching in 2023 through issuer Paxos, PYUSD has grown steadily, with supply climbing from US$520 million at the start of the year to US$1.3 billion.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
