BTC traded at $76,523, down 0.06% over 24 hours, while ETH stood at $2,448.47, up 0.53%. Gold was at $4,400.20 and silver at $66.33; the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 rose 1.14% and 1.73%, respectively, while WTI and Brent fell 0.65% and 0.77%.
1. SEC approves five-year innovation exemption for tokenized stocks
The SEC on September 17 issued the Innovation Exemption, granting tokenized securities venues (TSVs) temporary, conditional relief from the "exchange" definition of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for five years, allowing them to trade tokenized NMS stocks via permissioned automated market makers (AMMs) and liquidity pools. Conditions include caps on trading symbols and volume, token holders enjoying the same dividend and voting rights as traditional stockholders, smart contracts deployed on public, permissionless chains and auditable, trading halts synced with the underlying stock, and issuer objection rights. The order also exempts liquidity providers from the "dealer" definition and seeks public comment; Chairman Atkins called it a temporary measure to be followed by durable rulemaking.
Assets to watch: ONDO
2. S&P Global to acquire onchain security firm OpenZeppelin
S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) announced an agreement to acquire OpenZeppelin, the security standard for onchain finance, whose smart-contract security library has supported more than $37 trillion in cumulative transfers. Deal terms were not disclosed; OpenZeppelin will continue as a standalone unit with CEO Demian Brener remaining in place. S&P Global said the deal strengthens its risk assessment and ecosystem capabilities in digital asset markets.
3. Bank of England holds rates as UK inflation hits 3.1%
The Bank of England held interest rates steady on Thursday, declining to follow the Federal Reserve's 25-basis-point hike the previous day, even as UK inflation rose to 3.1% and energy costs added to price pressures. Major central banks' policy paths are diverging.
4. US diesel prices hit record high
US diesel prices hit an all-time high of $6.31 per gallon, with transportation and logistics companies sounding the alarm over fuel costs. If energy prices stay elevated, the economic impact is expected to spread from the transport sector to the broader economy.
5. Huang says Nvidia will double chip sales next year
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company will sell twice as many chips next year, pointing to continued massive growth over the next six quarters. The comment is Nvidia's latest forecast on AI chip demand.
Assets to watch: NVDA
6. OpenAI discloses 6 cases of concerning model behavior
OpenAI disclosed six new cases of "concerning model behavior" since March and offered a framework for disclosing future instances, as the debate over AI model safety intensifies.
7. Ethereum's Glamsterdam upgrade clears rehearsal
Ethereum's upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade has cleared its rehearsal, paving the way for a major jump in capacity. Billed as the largest upgrade since the Merge, it targets 10,000 TPS and roughly 78% lower fees, with improvements including ePBS and parallel execution.
Assets to watch: ETH
8. House committee advances Bitcoin reserve bill
The House Financial Services Committee voted 28-21 on September 16 to advance the American Reserve Modernization Act (H.R. 8957), which would write the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into federal law, the furthest a bitcoin reserve bill has traveled in Congress.
Assets to watch: BTC
9. CFTC opens access to regulated crypto derivatives
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a no-action letter allowing passive trading software providers, without registering as introducing brokers, to give users access to regulated crypto derivatives including event contracts and perpetual contracts. The move extends the SEC's recent developer-friendly stance.
Assets to watch: BTC, ETH
10. Paradigm discloses ZEC stake, Zcash up 20%
Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang disclosed that the firm invested in the Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL) and holds ZEC, describing Zcash as a "private complement to Bitcoin." ZEC rose about 20% over 24 hours to around $1,338.
Assets to watch: ZEC
Market snapshot
BTC: $76,523 (24h -0.06%) | ETH: $2,448.47 (24h +0.53%)
Gold: $4,400.20 (+0.01%) | Silver: $66.33 (+0.36%)
WTI: $101.25 (-0.65%) | Brent: $104.01 (-0.77%)
S&P 500: 7,637.76 (+1.14%) | Nasdaq 100: 29,446.98 (+1.73%)
1. SEC approves five-year innovation exemption for tokenized stocks
The SEC on September 17 issued the Innovation Exemption, granting tokenized securities venues (TSVs) temporary, conditional relief from the "exchange" definition of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for five years, allowing them to trade tokenized NMS stocks via permissioned automated market makers (AMMs) and liquidity pools. Conditions include caps on trading symbols and volume, token holders enjoying the same dividend and voting rights as traditional stockholders, smart contracts deployed on public, permissionless chains and auditable, trading halts synced with the underlying stock, and issuer objection rights. The order also exempts liquidity providers from the "dealer" definition and seeks public comment; Chairman Atkins called it a temporary measure to be followed by durable rulemaking.
Assets to watch: ONDO
2. S&P Global to acquire onchain security firm OpenZeppelin
S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) announced an agreement to acquire OpenZeppelin, the security standard for onchain finance, whose smart-contract security library has supported more than $37 trillion in cumulative transfers. Deal terms were not disclosed; OpenZeppelin will continue as a standalone unit with CEO Demian Brener remaining in place. S&P Global said the deal strengthens its risk assessment and ecosystem capabilities in digital asset markets.
3. Bank of England holds rates as UK inflation hits 3.1%
The Bank of England held interest rates steady on Thursday, declining to follow the Federal Reserve's 25-basis-point hike the previous day, even as UK inflation rose to 3.1% and energy costs added to price pressures. Major central banks' policy paths are diverging.
4. US diesel prices hit record high
US diesel prices hit an all-time high of $6.31 per gallon, with transportation and logistics companies sounding the alarm over fuel costs. If energy prices stay elevated, the economic impact is expected to spread from the transport sector to the broader economy.
5. Huang says Nvidia will double chip sales next year
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company will sell twice as many chips next year, pointing to continued massive growth over the next six quarters. The comment is Nvidia's latest forecast on AI chip demand.
Assets to watch: NVDA
6. OpenAI discloses 6 cases of concerning model behavior
OpenAI disclosed six new cases of "concerning model behavior" since March and offered a framework for disclosing future instances, as the debate over AI model safety intensifies.
7. Ethereum's Glamsterdam upgrade clears rehearsal
Ethereum's upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade has cleared its rehearsal, paving the way for a major jump in capacity. Billed as the largest upgrade since the Merge, it targets 10,000 TPS and roughly 78% lower fees, with improvements including ePBS and parallel execution.
Assets to watch: ETH
8. House committee advances Bitcoin reserve bill
The House Financial Services Committee voted 28-21 on September 16 to advance the American Reserve Modernization Act (H.R. 8957), which would write the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into federal law, the furthest a bitcoin reserve bill has traveled in Congress.
Assets to watch: BTC
9. CFTC opens access to regulated crypto derivatives
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a no-action letter allowing passive trading software providers, without registering as introducing brokers, to give users access to regulated crypto derivatives including event contracts and perpetual contracts. The move extends the SEC's recent developer-friendly stance.
Assets to watch: BTC, ETH
10. Paradigm discloses ZEC stake, Zcash up 20%
Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang disclosed that the firm invested in the Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL) and holds ZEC, describing Zcash as a "private complement to Bitcoin." ZEC rose about 20% over 24 hours to around $1,338.
Assets to watch: ZEC
Market snapshot
BTC: $76,523 (24h -0.06%) | ETH: $2,448.47 (24h +0.53%)
Gold: $4,400.20 (+0.01%) | Silver: $66.33 (+0.36%)
WTI: $101.25 (-0.65%) | Brent: $104.01 (-0.77%)
S&P 500: 7,637.76 (+1.14%) | Nasdaq 100: 29,446.98 (+1.73%)