Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Friday (September 26) as of 9:00 a.m. UTC.
Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ether and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.
Bitcoin and Ether price update
Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$109,743, trading 1.2 percent lower over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation of the day was US$108,776, while its highest was US$111,694.
Bitcoin price performance, September 26, 2025.
Chart via TradingView.
Bitcoin is hovering just under the US$110,000 mark, and traders on prediction platforms now see a 61 percent chance it will dip below US$100,000 before 2026, up sharply from last week’s 41 percent.
Position trader Bob Loukas noted that the asset is nearing its weekly cycle low five weeks after peaking, with bears retaining short-term control after Bitcoin failed to break all-time highs in mid-August. CoinDesk’s James Van Straten compared today’s setup to September 2024, when Bitcoin corrected 11 percent before rebounding into October.
Bitcoin dominance in the crypto market is 56.83 percent, a 1.37 percent slight rise over the week.
For its part, Ether (ETH) was priced at US$4,019.71, trading 1.1 percent lower over the past 24 hours and near its lowest valuation of the day, which was US$3,833.75. Its price peaked at US$4,019.71.
Ether is struggling with critical support levels after slipping under US$4,000, down nearly 20 percent in the last two weeks. Analysts warn that failure to reclaim momentum could send Ether tumbling toward US$2,750, with Ali Martinez highlighting US$4,841 as the key level needed to break the downtrend.
Pressure on Ether intensified after co-founder Jeffrey Wilcke transferred 1,500 ETH worth US$6 million to Kraken on Thursday (September 25), following previous multimillion-dollar deposits to the exchange.
Altcoin price update
Solana (SOL) was priced at US$196.27, a decrease of 2.7 percent over the last 24 hours. Its lowest valuation of the day was US$191.28, while its highest value was US$203.50.
XRP was trading for US$2.74, down by 3.6 percent over the last 24 hourse. Its highest valuation of the day was US$2.86, while its lowest was US$2.70.
ETF data and derivatives trends
Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continued to see institutional demand this week.
Inflows were led by BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ:IBIT), which saw net purchases of US$128.9 million and taking its total assets under management to about US$87.2 billion.
Other US spot BTC ETFs also saw significant inflows. The Fidelity Advantage Bitcoin ETF (TSX:FBTC) added US$29.7 million, and the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (BATS:ARKB) added US$37.7 million on the same day.
In total, US Bitcoin ETFs now hold roughly US$150 billion in Bitcoin, equivalent to about 1.33 million to 1.35 million coins and roughly 6 to 7 percent of Bitcoin’s total market cap.
Altcoin ETF momentum is also building. In mid-September, the first spot altcoin ETFs hit US markets, including the REX Osprey XRP ETF (CBOE:XRPR) and the REX Osprey DOGE ETF (CBOE:DOJE).
Several firms are now racing to list others, including Solana and Stellar.
On the derivatives side, leverage remains near record levels. CryptoQuant data shows Bitcoin futures open interest above US$220 billion in September — a historic high — suggesting heavy speculative positioning. Analysts warn that clustered stops around the current price could trigger massive liquidations if breached.
Ether also saw significant liquidations in this pullback, reflecting similar crowd behavior in derivatives. Perpetual funding rates for both Bitcoin and Ether remain near zero, indicating a balanced market bias between bulls and bears.
Next week’s crypto news to watch
Several major events are on the horizon.
Korea Blockchain Week continues in Seoul through September 28, with major exchange executives and policymakers expected to announce partnerships and regulatory updates. In Europe, the Token2049 conference in London kicks off on October 2, drawing institutional investors who may reveal ETF and custody initiatives.
Finally, regulatory headlines remain a wild card. The US Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to issue updates on pending applications for altcoin ETFs.
Today’s crypto news to know
Crypto’s institutional support falters as treasury buying slumps
Corporate crypto treasuries, once seen as a stabilizing force for Bitcoin, are sharply cutting back their purchases.
Data from CryptoQuant shows acquisitions plunged from 64,000 BTC in July to just 12,600 BTC in August, with September barely reaching 15,500 BTC, a 76 percent decline from early summer highs.
The pullback has weighed on Bitcoin, which slid nearly 6 percent in the past week amid broader liquidations across digital assets. Some treasury firms, which had previously traded at premiums to the value of their Bitcoin reserves, are now priced nearly in line with their holdings, which reflect weaker investor confidence.
Regulators are also probing irregular trading patterns in these stocks, raising questions about transparency in PIPE deals and the disclosure of acquisition prices.
BlackRock pitches covered-call Bitcoin ETF for yield hunters
BlackRock has filed plans for a new Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, a product designed to generate steady payouts through covered-call strategies on Bitcoin. The move follows the runaway success of the firm’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, which launched in early 2024 and has already amassed more than US$87 billion in assets.
Unlike the iShares Bitcoin Trust, which offers straightforward exposure, the new fund aims to appeal to investors seeking Bitcoin-linked returns without the full brunt of price swings. Analysts say the filing underscores BlackRock’s strategy to focus on Bitcoin and Ethereum while leaving smaller tokens to other issuers.
The iShares Bitcoin Trust alone commands roughly 60 percent of the US Bitcoin ETF market and has produced over US$218 million in annual revenue, surpassing even some of BlackRock’s flagship equity funds.
Curve founder targets introduces new Bitcoin yield platform
Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov has introduced Yield Basis, a decentralized protocol aimed at giving Bitcoin holders meaningful on-chain returns without exposure to impermanent loss.
Traditional lending markets offer minimal yields on Bitcoin, while automated market maker (AMM) pools have historically left users vulnerable to losing value when asset prices diverge. Yield Basis reworks the AMM model to remove this risk, debuting with three capped pools of US$1 million each to control early adoption. The project raised US$5 million earlier this year and is the first to launch on the joint Legion and Kraken community platform.
Egorov says the framework could eventually expand beyond Bitcoin to assets like Ethereum, commodities or even tokenized equities, potentially broadening DeFi’s appeal to more risk-averse investors.
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.