Finance and Business News page 14

Investor demand for Solana exchange-traded funds keeps climbing even as Bitcoin markets settle into unusual stillness. Solana-linked exchange-traded funds have now attracted net inflows for 12 straight weeks, according to reporting from CryptoBriefing and Yahoo Finance.

On-chain investigator says a zero-knowledge-themed NFT venture collected millions from buyers while delivering few promised features. An NFT project that branded itself around zkSNARKs, a form of zero-knowledge cryptography, is facing public accusations of extracting roughly $17 million from investors without delivering the utility it promised.

Coinbase's CEO calls the newspaper's coverage 'hostile' as debate grows over who stalled the crypto market structure bill The Wall Street Journal published reporting attributing blame to Coinbase for the slow movement of the CLARITY Act, a proposed crypto market structure bill.

Clients funneled roughly $108 million into the fund in a single session, with weekly totals reported near $120 million. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust, known as IBIT, absorbed significant new capital this week, according to two separate reports. CryptoBriefing reported that clients bought approximately $108 million worth of Bitcoin through the fund.

Banks and asset managers are prioritizing institutional clients as they roll out tokenized deposits and money-market products. Large financial institutions are moving into tokenization, but their early products are built for institutional clients rather than everyday consumers. According to CoinDesk, Wall Street firms are focusing tokenized money initiatives on banks, asset managers, and trading desks.

A conditional bank charter, a resistance band and a licence exit all carry a mechanism that can move capital before US markets open, the rest do not. A conditional bank charter, a resistance band and a licence exit all carry a mechanism that can move capital before US markets open, the rest do not.

The Argentine fintech says capital requirements tied to its Brazilian license outweighed the returns from its local business. Lemon, an Argentine cryptocurrency and payments firm, has decided to stop operating in Brazil. Two outlets reported the exit on September 19, 2026, framing the move around regulatory capital costs.

A former banker in Hong Kong has been sentenced after a court found he falsified credit documents worth $1.6 billion and accepted bribes paid in cryptocurrency. A Hong Kong court has jailed a former banker after finding him responsible for a large-scale credit fraud scheme.

Bitcoin's recent bounce has stalled near $83,000, raising questions about whether the move is a genuine recovery or a bull trap. Bitcoin's price action has drawn fresh scrutiny as the asset approaches a critical technical zone.

The crypto infrastructure firm moves closer to operating under a federal banking charter after clearing an initial regulatory hurdle. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has granted Bastion conditional approval to move forward with a national trust bank charter.

Bitcoin's rally defies expectations after a setback for crypto market structure legislation and a tightening move from the Federal Reserve. Bitcoin traded above $81,000 this week, a move that caught attention because it came alongside two developments many expected to weigh on prices.

The Wall Street Journal reports Christine Lagarde intervened to keep Binance locked out of the European Union market. Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, personally blocked Binance’s attempt to secure a license inside the European Union, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Legislative gridlock on digital asset market structure has not paused regulatory activity across agencies, states and courts. The CLARITY Act has stalled in Congress, according to a report from UNLOCK Blockchain published on September 18, 2026. The bill was designed to establish clearer jurisdictional lines between federal regulators over digital assets.

Falling futures open interest tempers optimism even as regulatory clarity efforts and ETF demand shape the outlook for XRP. XRP has held steady around the $1.30 level this week, according to CoinJournal, even as broader market signals turned mixed.

Weak purchases from public companies add to a broader pattern of soft bitcoin demand signals. Corporate treasuries purchased only 5,900 bitcoin during the third quarter, according to CoinDesk. At current prices, that haul was worth approximately $451 million, as reported separately by The Cryptonomist.

A report alleging ECB President Christine Lagarde pressured Greek regulators over Binance's license application has raised fresh questions about the exchange's EU market entry. Binance’s bid to secure a license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, known as MiCA, is facing new questions.

American officials allege a crypto platform helped Iran collect payments tied to shipping traffic through the strategic waterway. U.S. officials have accused Iran of using a bitcoin exchange to process payments connected to a toll-like scheme along the Strait of Hormuz. The allegation was reported by CoinDesk and CryptoBriefing on September 18.

Galaxy's data shows venture investment in crypto and blockchain startups jumped roughly 31% from the prior quarter. Venture capital deployed into crypto and blockchain startups totaled $5.68 billion in the second quarter, according to figures published by research firm Galaxy.