Bitcoin climbed to 87,374 as gains across the crypto market lifted overall prices. The move keeps attention on the next major round level, after BTC extended its recent rally, according to the provided update.

weETH deposits on Aave V3 have surpassed $4 billion, marking a new milestone for the liquid staking token's activity on the lending protocol. The figure reflects total deposits recorded on Aave V3 and highlights continued demand for weETH within Ethereum DeFi markets.

X said it has partnered with Gemini, Kraken, Moomoo, Coinbase and Interactive Brokers to let users trade crypto and stocks directly from the timeline, expanding in app access to brokerage and exchange services.

Bitcoin traded at 86042, Ethereum at 2754.71, Solana at 117.79 and BNB at 797.82 on Sept 21, 2026, all above every hourly price from the prior 90 days on CoinGecko data, while XRP at 1.50 remained 9.8 percent below its Aug 22 hourly high. CoinGlass data showed 647.9 million in short liquidations within 24 hours.

Solana (SOL) rallied 8% to about $119 on September 21, marking its highest level since January as the broader crypto market rebounded. Attention is now shifting to the weekly chart after veteran trader Peter Brandt highlighted what he sees as a five-year cup-and-handle formation, bringing the $240 resistance zone into focus. SOL climbed from roughly $110.69 to $119, pushing through the $112.50 resistance area. The breakout appeared to trigger stop-losses and fresh spot demand, while short sellers rushed to cover, adding fuel to the move. Over the past 24 hours, more than $33.70 million in SOL positions were liquidated, with shorts accounting for $30.42 million, or nearly 90% of the total. After briefly touching $119, SOL eased back toward the $116 region. Derivatives activity also strengthened. SOL futures trading volume surged 89% to $13.33 billion, and open interest rose 9.10% to $7.28 billion. Institutional appetite has also held up, with Solana ETFs posting 12 consecutive weeks of inflows and cumulative inflows topping $1.4 billion. Brandt's chart work suggests the "cup" spans from the 2021 peak to the 2022 market low, followed by an extended consolidation phase that may represent the "handle." The key hurdle sits around $240, and the setup would require a sustained breakout above that zone to be confirmed. From around $116, a move to $240 implies roughly 106% upside. Near-term, the sharp rebound could prompt profit-taking. On the downside, the $80–$85 area remains the primary support zone; a breakdown below it would undermine the cup-and-handle thesis. Technical indicators are mixed: ADX near 20 points to a still-weak trend, while a falling ATR suggests declining volatility and continued price compression.

Crypto market sentiment has shifted into "extreme greed." CoinMarketCap's Fear & Greed Index rose to 80 today from 72 yesterday, just two points below this year's peak of 82 set on Aug. 27, and far above February's trough of 5. Total crypto market capitalization climbed 6% over the past 24 hours to $2.94T. bitcoin:native gained more than 7% to about $86,700, while ethereum:native advanced 5.6% to roughly $2,765.

The Eurosystem on Monday launched Pontes, a live settlement channel that lets banks complete tokenized-asset transactions using central bank money. The European Central Bank is also preparing to invest a small share of its own funds in tokenized securities, with those purchases expected to settle via Pontes. The launch positions the ECB both as the operator of the settlement rail and as a prospective user of it. Pontes links distributed-ledger market platforms to the Eurosystem's existing TARGET settlement services, enabling tokenized securities trades to settle in central bank money. Deutsche Bank, Santander, Société Générale and the European Investment Bank are among the first institutions to complete onboarding. DLT operators including Clearstream, Axiology, Cashlink and SWIAT have also connected. The Eurosystem expects more participants to join in the coming months. André Dragosch, head of research at Bitwise Europe, said Pontes effectively makes a "digital euro available for banks." He added that it allows institutions to settle tokenized transactions with each other while keeping central bank money as the settlement asset. The Eurosystem's 2024 DLT trials found that participants from the public and private sectors viewed access to central bank money as essential for broader adoption. Pontes is launching with a limited set of services and is expected to add functionality and extend operating hours over time. Full implementation is targeted for 2028. The ECB has not reported a completed live settlement since Monday's launch. Transaction activity will be a key indicator of whether Pontes gains traction beyond the institutions already onboarded. The ECB's planned investment program is designed to give it direct exposure to the end-to-end process it is asking financial institutions to adopt. Initial purchases are expected to focus on euro-denominated tokenized securities issued by euro-area central governments, regional governments, agencies and European supranational institutions. The ECB said using Pontes will help it build experience across trade execution, settlement, technology systems and portfolio management. The ECB has not disclosed the size of the tokenized allocation or when purchases will begin. Its Executive Board will decide the size and timing after preparatory work is completed. The ECB's own-funds portfolio was valued at €23.1 billion at the end of 2025, with government debt making up 73%. The own funds are managed separately from monetary-policy portfolios and generate income that helps cover the ECB's operating expenses. Using this portfolio would allow the ECB to test tokenized markets without turning the purchases into an interest-rate or quantitative-easing tool. Pontes is separate from Europe's consumer-focused digital euro project. The ECB plans a 12-month retail pilot beginning in the second half of 2027, involving 36 payment service providers, merchants and central bank staff. A potential first issuance is targeted for 2029, subject to the adoption of the necessary legislation. The two initiatives run on separate tracks aimed at extending central bank money into digital infrastructure. Dragosch also pointed to earlier debate over whether public blockchains could eventually play a role in the digital euro. The Financial Times reported in 2025 that European officials were considering networks including Ethereum and Solana as potential technology options as concerns grew about the expansion of dollar-backed stablecoins. The ECB said at the time it was reviewing centralized and decentralized technologies and had not made a final decision. For now, Pontes gives banks and securities platforms a way to connect tokenized issuance and trading infrastructure to central bank settlement while the retail architecture remains undecided. The Eurosystem is also expanding Pontes and developing Appia, an initiative intended to deliver a blueprint for an integrated European DLT financial ecosystem by 2028. The next test for Pontes will be transaction volume. Onboarded institutions will need to decide which tokenized securities and workflows to route through the system, while additional banks and market operators assess whether to connect in the months ahead. The size, timing and type of the ECB's first purchases will be another gauge of whether Pontes evolves from available infrastructure into a regularly used market utility.

Bitcoin surged toward $87,000 as markets head into October, a month traders often cite as delivering the highest historical returns compared with the rest of the year.

The Eurosystem on Monday rolled out Pontes, a new settlement link that lets banks complete tokenized-asset transactions in central bank money. At the same time, the European Central Bank (ECB) said it is preparing to invest a small portion of its own funds in tokenized securities, with those trades expected to settle via Pontes. The twin steps place the ECB at the center of Europe's developing tokenized-market plumbing: it is supplying the settlement rail while also preparing to use it as an investor. Pontes connects distributed-ledger (DLT) market platforms to the Eurosystem's existing TARGET settlement services, enabling tokenized securities to settle in central bank money. An initial cohort has completed onboarding, including Deutsche Bank, Santander, Société Générale and the European Investment Bank, alongside DLT operators Clearstream, Axiology, Cashlink and SWIAT. The Eurosystem expects additional institutions to connect in the coming months. André Dragosch, Head of Research at Bitwise Europe, said Pontes amounts to a "digital euro made available for banks," allowing financial institutions to settle tokenized transactions with one another while keeping central bank money as the settlement asset. In wholesale markets, access to risk-free settlement money has been a key hurdle to moving securities onto distributed ledgers. The Eurosystem's 2024 DLT trials found both public- and private-sector participants viewed such access as critical for broader adoption. Pontes starts with a limited set of services, with more functionality and longer operating hours to be added over time. Full implementation is targeted for 2028. The ECB has not yet reported a completed live settlement since Monday's launch, leaving actual transaction activity as the next test of whether the infrastructure gains usage beyond already connected institutions. ECB prepares to buy on its own settlement rail The ECB's planned investment program extends the initiative beyond infrastructure by giving the central bank direct exposure to the trade-to-settlement lifecycle it is encouraging the market to adopt. Initial purchases are expected to focus on euro-denominated tokenized securities issued by euro area central governments, regional governments, agencies and European supranational institutions. The ECB said settling via Pontes will help it build experience across trade execution, settlement, technology systems and portfolio management. The allocation is expected to be small relative to the ECB's broader holdings. The central bank's own-funds portfolio was valued at €23.1 billion at the end of 2025, with government debt representing 73%. The ECB has not disclosed the size of the tokenized allocation or when purchases will start, saying its Executive Board will decide both after preparatory work is completed. The own-funds portfolio is managed separately from monetary-policy portfolios and generates income that helps cover the ECB's operating costs. Using it allows the ECB to test tokenized markets without turning the purchases into an interest-rate or quantitative-easing tool. Pontes also arrives well ahead of Europe's retail digital euro. The ECB plans a 12-month consumer pilot starting in the second half of 2027, involving 36 payment service providers, merchants and central bank staff. A first issuance is targeted for 2029, contingent on passage of the necessary legislation. Even so, the parallel tracks signal a broader effort to embed central bank money more deeply into digital market infrastructure. Related context and next milestones Dragosch pointed to earlier debate over whether public blockchains could eventually play a role in the digital euro. The Financial Times reported in 2025 that European officials were considering networks including Ethereum and Solana as potential technology options amid growing concern over the spread of dollar-backed stablecoins. The ECB said at the time it was evaluating both centralized and decentralized approaches and had not made a final choice. For wholesale markets, Pontes offers a near-term route without waiting for the retail architecture to be finalized. Banks and securities platforms can begin linking tokenized issuance and trading systems to central bank settlement while the Eurosystem expands Pontes and develops Appia, a broader initiative aimed at producing a blueprint for an integrated European DLT financial ecosystem by 2028. The commercial proof point now shifts to volume. Institutions already onboarded must decide which tokenized instruments and workflows to route through Pontes, while additional banks and market operators consider connecting in the months ahead. The ECB's eventual allocation—its timing, size and instrument choice—will be another key signal of how quickly Europe's new settlement rail moves from available infrastructure to routine market use. Source: CryptoSlate