Bitcoin price today rose above $81,500 as U.S. spot ETFs attracted $324.6 million and regulatory optimism supported Ethereum, XRP and Solana.
Bitcoin extended its rebound on Monday, trading above $81,500 as renewed institutional inflows, improving U.S. regulatory sentiment and firmer global risk appetite supported cryptocurrencies at the start of the week.
Bitcoin traded at approximately $81,597.50, up 1.48 percent over the previous 24 hours.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency briefly moved above $82,000, with its 24-hour trading range extending from $80,149.63 to $82,074.61. Its market capitalization stood at approximately $1.63 trillion, with roughly 20.08 million BTC in circulation out of a maximum supply of 21 million.
The broader cryptocurrency market was also higher. CoinMarketCap put total market capitalization at around $2.8 trillion, with Bitcoin dominance at approximately 58.5 percent and Ether accounting for another 11.6 percent.
Bitcoin holds above $80,000
Monday’s advance extends the sharp recovery that carried Bitcoin back above the psychologically important $80,000 level late last week.
Bitcoin surged through that threshold on Friday despite two significant policy headwinds earlier in the week: the Federal Reserve’s first interest-rate increase in more than three years and the failure of the U.S. Senate to advance major cryptocurrency market-structure legislation.
The cryptocurrency climbed above $80,000 on Friday and later moved past $81,000, while crypto-linked equities including Coinbase and Strategy also recorded strong gains.
The rebound indicated that investors were increasingly looking beyond the immediate monetary-policy and legislative setbacks as fresh regulatory developments and institutional flows improved sentiment.
ETF inflows return
Demand through U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds has provided another source of support.
Farside Investors data showed the funds recording $324.6 million in net inflows on September 18, following another $159.5 million on September 17.
Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund accounted for $310.7 million of Friday’s total, making it by far the largest contributor that day.
The two-day recovery followed substantial withdrawals earlier in the week.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $450.4 million in net outflows on September 15 and another $295.9 million on September 16, according to Farside.
The subsequent return of inflows alongside Bitcoin’s recovery above $80,000 suggests institutional demand strengthened after the volatility surrounding the Fed decision and Senate vote.
Ethereum leads major tokens
The recovery extended well beyond Bitcoin.
Ethereum traded around $2,666, gaining more than 3 percent over 24 hours, with its market capitalization at roughly $325 billion.
XRP, the token associated with the XRP Ledger and closely linked historically with Ripple, traded around $1.42-$1.43, also advancing more than 3 percent. Its market capitalization was close to $89.5 billion.
BNB was trading near $773, while Solana stood around $112, with both gaining roughly 3 percent over 24 hours in the latest CoinMarketCap readings.
Dogecoin was up nearly 4 percent around $0.0886, while Cardano gained close to 5 percent to approximately $0.232.
The breadth of the gains suggests Monday’s move was developing into a broader risk-on move in digital assets rather than a Bitcoin-only rebound.
Smaller tokens surge
Some higher-risk cryptocurrencies substantially outperformed the largest digital assets.
Avalanche was up about 18 percent over 24 hours, trading around $11.30, while NEAR Protocol surged more than 22 percent to approximately $4.24.
Sui was gaining roughly 15 percent, while Chainlink advanced around 4.7 percent in CoinMarketCap’s latest readings.
The strong moves in smaller tokens point to increased investor appetite for higher-beta digital assets as Bitcoin stabilizes above $80,000.
SEC action lifts sentiment
Regulatory developments have also helped the market recover after a setback in Congress.
On September 15, the U.S. Senate failed to invoke cloture on a motion to proceed with the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, with the official Senate tally showing the motion rejected 49–50.
The legislation is intended to establish a clearer regulatory framework for digital commodities and delineate responsibilities between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Bitcoin and crypto-related stocks initially declined following the failed procedural vote.
Two days later, however, the SEC provided the market with a more supportive regulatory development.
The commission announced an “Innovation Exemption” granting temporary and conditional relief that allows qualifying venues to facilitate onchain trading of certain tokenized U.S.-listed stocks through permissioned automated market makers and liquidity pools.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the measure was designed to help bring U.S. capital markets onchain while the regulator considers longer-term rules.
The exemption does not amount to comprehensive crypto market-structure legislation, but it reinforced expectations that U.S. regulators will continue developing frameworks for blockchain-based financial markets despite the Senate setback.
Sentiment stays in Greed
Crypto investor sentiment remains relatively strong after the latest rebound.
Alternative.me’s Crypto Fear & Greed Index stood at 70 on Monday, placing the market firmly in “Greed” territory.
The index was at 71 a day earlier and 57 one week ago, illustrating the improvement in sentiment over the past seven days.
The measure uses factors including volatility, market momentum and volume, social-media activity, Bitcoin dominance and Google search trends to gauge market sentiment on a scale from zero to 100.
Fed remains a headwind
Monetary policy nevertheless remains an important risk for cryptocurrencies.
The Federal Reserve raised its federal funds target range by 25 basis points to 3.75–4.00 percent on September 16, saying inflation remained elevated and that tighter policy would support a more timely return to its 2 percent inflation target.
Higher interest rates and Treasury yields can weigh on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies by increasing returns available on lower-risk yield-bearing assets and tightening broader financial conditions.
Bitcoin’s ability to recover above $80,000 despite the Fed hike has therefore become an important test of the market’s underlying demand.
Reuters had identified the Fed decision and Senate vote as two of the principal tests facing Bitcoin’s late-summer rally.
