# Latest Crypto News Update - September 18, 2026

**Author:** CoinStats AI
**Published:** September 18, 2026 at 07:03

---

## 

> **TLDR**
> SEC Innovation Exemption drives tokenized equities rally – Uniswap and Arbitrum surge on regulatory catalyst:
> 
> • SEC's temporary Innovation Exemption (17 Sep) permits permissioned pools for tokenized NMS stocks – conditional, open for comment, no unrestricted trading approval
> • UNI +26.7% to $8.62; ARB +27.8% to $0.21 on the exemption news; BTC and ETH hold $77K and $2.4K
> • $450M Bitcoin ETF outflows on 16 Sep offset price rebound – short covering, not fresh leverage, drove gains (74.9% of liquidations were shorts)
> • Nostra exploited for $3.5M via NSTR oracle manipulation; September crypto hack losses exceed $326M
> • Ethereum's Glamsterdam Sepolia test set for 6 Oct; watch BTC $75K–$77.5K range and UNI follow-through above $8.62

## Top Story

The SEC issued a temporary **Innovation Exemption** on September 17 for certain Tokenized Securities Venues. Eligible venues may trade tokenized National Market System stocks through permissioned automated-market-maker pools and liquidity pools.

The order matters because it creates a U.S. regulatory pathway for onchain trading of tokenized equities. It is conditional, temporary, and open for public comment. It does not approve unrestricted tokenized-stock trading or guarantee future revenue for any specific protocol.

The announcement became the central catalyst behind the sharp moves in [Uniswap](https://coinstats.app/coins/uniswap) and [Arbitrum](https://coinstats.app/coins/arbitrum). UNI gained 26.70% to $8.62 on $1.94 billion in volume, while ARB rose 27.82% to $0.21 on $1.01 billion. The broader market also turned risk-on, with [Bitcoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin) and [Ethereum](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum) holding above $77,000 and $2,400.

The main open question is whether the exemption produces sustained tokenized-equity activity, or simply creates a short-term narrative trade. Public comments, venue eligibility, and the SEC’s eventual permanent rulemaking will determine the longer-term impact.

## Major Price Moves

### Market Overview

[Bitcoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin), the rank-one asset, traded at **$77,600.68**, up **1.16%** in 24 hours on **$23.41 billion** in volume. [Ethereum](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum), ranked second, reached **$2,486.40**, gaining **1.67%** on **$17.73 billion** in volume.

The majors were firm, but altcoins drove the session. Layer-1, DeFi, scaling, privacy, and infrastructure tokens all recorded strong gains. Derivatives data showed that much of the move came from short covering rather than excessive fresh leverage.

### Top 10 Gainers

| Coin | Price | 24h % | 24h Volume |
|---|---:|---:|---:|
| [Hound — Dividend Hound](https://coinstats.app/coins/0x7efa92fb3657d1fe086c5b178c3e6f1e7cdc2e19_robinhood) | $0.0007047 | 277.73% | $7.75M |
| [ZFORGE — ZECFORGE.tech](https://coinstats.app/coins/0xb6a906d2d95e862cf4fd43b9e30162aee19eed8d_robinhood) | $0.0011972 | 208.41% | $10.06M |
| [ONE — Harmony](https://coinstats.app/coins/cross-2) | $0.0018710 | 51.97% | $139.01M |
| [G — Gravity](https://coinstats.app/coins/g-token) | $0.0063423 | 51.86% | $45.89M |
| [INDEX — The Index](https://coinstats.app/coins/0x56910d4409f3a0c78c64dd8d0545ff0705389870_robinhood) | $0.0368296 | 38.02% | $5.15M |
| [BONER — Boner Coin](https://coinstats.app/coins/0x98096d17e191b3da1d5f99a6d7b3584351b11e18_robinhood) | $0.0579051 | 36.89% | $5.83M |
| [DRIFT — Drift Protocol](https://coinstats.app/coins/drift-protocol) | $0.0163216 | 36.87% | $17.35M |
| [GEOD — Geodnet](https://coinstats.app/coins/geodnet) | $0.2968266 | 31.78% | $42.95M |
| [BNC4 — Cea Industries](https://coinstats.app/coins/cea-industries) | $6.2274754 | 31.30% | $13.92M |
| [GNOT — Gno.land](https://coinstats.app/coins/gno-land) | $0.0650514 | 30.40% | $8.80M |

The largest percentage gains came from thin, speculative assets. Dividend Hound and ZECFORGE.tech traded only $7.75 million and $10.06 million, respectively, so their percentage moves carry substantially more liquidity risk than the large-cap rallies.

### Top 10 Losers

| Coin | Price | 24h % | 24h Volume |
|---|---:|---:|---:|
| [FF — Falcon Finance](https://coinstats.app/coins/0xac23b90a79504865d52b49b327328411a23d4db2_binance_smart) | $0.1284 | -7.54% | $13.33M |
| [H — Humanity](https://coinstats.app/coins/0x44f161ae29361e332dea039dfa2f404e0bc5b5cc_binance_smart) | $0.0846 | -5.23% | $2.26M |
| [TIBBIR — Ribbita by Virtuals](https://coinstats.app/coins/0xa4a2e2ca3fbfe21aed83471d28b6f65a233c6e00_base) | $0.1969 | -4.88% | $3.00M |
| [USELESS — Useless Coin](https://coinstats.app/coins/Dz9mQ9NzkBcCsuGPFJ3r1bS4wgqKMHBPiVuniW8Mbonk_solana) | $0.2605 | -3.91% | $54.66M |
| [BTW — Bitway](https://coinstats.app/coins/0x444045b0ee1ee319a660a5e3d604ca0ffa35acaa_binance_smart) | $0.6871 | -3.84% | $8.39M |
| [EDGE — edgeX](https://coinstats.app/coins/edgex) | $0.6228 | -3.54% | $3.85M |
| [BTCT — Bitcoin TRC20](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin-trc20) | $74,171.41 | -3.04% | $164.17K |
| [DRV — Derive](https://coinstats.app/coins/derive) | $0.2441 | -2.94% | $52.18M |
| [ANTFUN — AntFun](https://coinstats.app/coins/CWZ6BsdnjkDVTGkmL6bGbJXXig6ceef12KvyGQW14cMt_solana) | $0.0873 | -2.85% | $13.34M |
| [XDC — XDC Network](https://coinstats.app/coins/xinfin-network) | $0.0273 | -2.06% | $7.22M |

Losses were comparatively contained among the top-300 assets. The weakest major listed asset was Falcon Finance, down 7.54% on $13.33 million in volume.

### Top 20 by Market Cap

| Rank | Coin | Price | 24h % | 24h Volume | Market Cap |
|---:|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| 1 | [BTC — Bitcoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin) | $77,600.68 | 1.16% | $23.41B | $1.56T |
| 2 | [ETH — Ethereum](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum) | $2,486.40 | 1.67% | $17.73B | $303.49B |
| 3 | [USDT — Tether](https://coinstats.app/coins/tether) | $1.00 | — | $56.00B | $183.29B |
| 4 | [BNB — BNB](https://coinstats.app/coins/binance-coin) | $755.22 | 4.06% | $682.87M | $100.57B |
| 5 | [XRP — XRP](https://coinstats.app/coins/ripple) | $1.32 | 2.03% | $3.15B | $83.14B |
| 6 | [USDC — USDC](https://coinstats.app/coins/usd-coin) | $1.00 | -0.01% | $16.10B | $73.84B |
| 7 | [SOL — Solana](https://coinstats.app/coins/solana) | $105.55 | 5.58% | $4.34B | $61.99B |
| 8 | [TRX — TRON](https://coinstats.app/coins/tron) | $0.34 | 0.18% | $232.12M | $31.88B |
| 9 | [ZEC — Zcash](https://coinstats.app/coins/zcash) | $1,495.75 | 11.29% | $7.24B | $25.33B |
| 10 | [STETH — Lido Staked Ether](https://coinstats.app/coins/staked-ether) | $2,482.67 | 1.80% | $10.90M | $24.14B |
| 11 | [HYPE — Hyperliquid](https://coinstats.app/coins/hyperliquid) | $87.71 | 10.72% | $1.43B | $19.51B |
| 12 | [DOGE — Dogecoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/dogecoin) | $0.08 | 4.43% | $947.46M | $13.13B |
| 13 | [WSTETH — Wrapped stETH](https://coinstats.app/coins/wrapped-steth) | $3,089.67 | 1.79% | $6.74M | $11.57B |
| 14 | [XMR — Monero](https://coinstats.app/coins/monero) | $531.31 | 5.04% | $99.12M | $9.99B |
| 15 | [USDS — USDS](https://coinstats.app/coins/0xdc035d45d973e3ec169d2276ddab16f1e407384f_eth) | $1.00 | 0.04% | $161.04M | $9.57B |
| 16 | [WBT — WhiteBIT Coin](https://coinstats.app/coins/whitebit) | $79.88 | 1.81% | $35.03M | $9.42B |
| 17 | [RAIN — Rain](https://coinstats.app/coins/rain) | $0.01 | 1.11% | $21.63M | $9.23B |
| 18 | [WBETH — Wrapped Beacon ETH](https://coinstats.app/coins/wrapped-beacon-eth) | $2,740.35 | 1.69% | $1.03M | $9.23B |
| 19 | [BSC-USD — Binance Bridged USDT](https://coinstats.app/coins/binance-bridged-usdt-bnb-smart-chain) | $1.00 | — | $951.00M | $9.18B |
| 20 | [WBTC — Wrapped Bitcoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/wrapped-bitcoin) | $77,403.02 | 1.33% | $122.01M | $8.99B |

## Other Key Events

### ETF outflows offset the price rebound

U.S. spot [Bitcoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin) ETFs reportedly recorded approximately **$450 million in net outflows on September 16**, following about **$296 million** on September 15. Cumulative net flows fell to roughly **$55 billion**, from a previous peak near **$63 billion**.

Separate data cited by Gate News showed September 17 outflows of approximately **4,300 BTC** from U.S. Bitcoin ETFs and **76,217 ETH** from [Ethereum](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum) ETFs. Seven-day reported outflows reached **12,061 BTC** and **32,343 ETH**.

The contrast is important: spot prices recovered while institutional ETF demand weakened. That makes the rebound more dependent on derivatives positioning and crypto-native spot flows. The Teucrium 2x Short Daily [XRP](https://coinstats.app/coins/ripple) ETF decision was also delayed to **October 11, 2026**, according to U.Today.

### Nostra suffered a reported $3.5 million oracle exploit

The Starknet lending protocol Nostra was reportedly exploited after an attacker manipulated the NSTR price oracle. The attacker used NSTR as collateral and borrowed assets including [ETH](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum), STRK, [USDC](https://coinstats.app/coins/usd-coin), [USDT](https://coinstats.app/coins/tether), [WBTC](https://coinstats.app/coins/wrapped-bitcoin), and [DAI](https://coinstats.app/coins/dai).

Nostra paused lending, borrowing, withdrawals, and liquidations. Approximately **$1.92 million** was reportedly bridged to Ethereum, including **234.57 ETH** and **1 million DAI**. CryptoRank, citing BeInCrypto, reported that September crypto losses from hacks and exploits had exceeded **$326 million** by September 18.

The incident damaged sentiment around Starknet’s DeFi ecosystem, but available social coverage showed no broad-market contagion. The event reinforces the need to distinguish protocol-level risk from the performance of the wider market.

### Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade cleared another rehearsal

Ethereum developers confirmed an **October 6 Sepolia test** for Glamsterdam. The upgrade targets higher block capacity and improved gas pricing. Mainnet activation remains unconfirmed.

Client teams were asked to prepare Sepolia-ready software by **September 29**. Nethermind reportedly completed **2,302 tests** and processed **570.7 billion gas** in three minutes and 15 seconds. The test workload is moving toward **200 million gas** blocks.

Developers also warned that fake builders could disrupt testing by using cheap test ETH to win block auctions and withhold execution payloads. This is a testnet-infrastructure concern, not a reported mainnet-funds vulnerability.

### In Brief

- [NEAR Protocol](https://coinstats.app/coins/near) rose **30.26%** to $3.47 on $2.07 billion in volume. The strongest confirmed catalyst was a $70 million confidential-TVL milestone and the first NEAR@3.33 incentive snapshot, allocating 333,333 milestone tokens.
- [Uniswap](https://coinstats.app/coins/uniswap) gained **26.70%** to $8.62 on $1.94 billion in volume. The SEC exemption specifically raised the possibility of permissioned tokenized-stock pools using Uniswap v4.
- [Arbitrum](https://coinstats.app/coins/arbitrum) advanced **27.82%** to $0.214 on $1.01 billion in volume. Arbitrum welcomed the tokenization push, but no new September 17–18 partnership, upgrade, or listing was confirmed.
- [Aptos](https://coinstats.app/coins/aptos) rose **18.02%** to $0.67 on $153.64 million, while [Jupiter](https://coinstats.app/coins/jupiter-exchange-solana) gained **16.74%** to $0.25 on $89.38 million.
- [Stacks](https://coinstats.app/coins/blockstack) added **14.08%**, [Aerodrome Finance](https://coinstats.app/coins/aerodrome-finance) gained **12.13%**, [Bitcoin Cash](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin-cash) rose **12.12%**, and [Polkadot](https://coinstats.app/coins/polkadot) advanced **11.91%**.

## Derivatives and Sentiment

### Short covering drove the move

Reported [Bitcoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin) and [Ethereum](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum) liquidations totaled **$62.43 million** over 24 hours.

| Asset | Total Liquidations | Longs | Shorts |
|---|---:|---:|---:|
| [BTC](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin) | $29.56M | $7.13M | $22.42M |
| [ETH](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum) | $32.87M | $8.57M | $24.30M |
| **Combined** | **$62.43M** | **$15.70M** | **$46.72M** |

Shorts represented **74.9%** of combined liquidations. The largest reported Bitcoin liquidation event was **$13.98 million** at 12:00 UTC on September 17. Ethereum’s largest event reached **$15.63 million** during the same period.

Bitcoin open interest stood at **$52.27 billion**, down **0.39%**, or $203.01 million, over two days. Ethereum open interest rose **2.69%**, or $852.11 million, to **$32.48 billion**.

That divergence matters. Bitcoin’s price rise combined with slightly lower open interest points to short covering. Ethereum saw both short liquidations and fresh position growth, creating more reversal risk if the rally loses momentum.

### Funding remained controlled

| Asset | Current Funding, 8h | Two-Day Average | Two-Day Range | Annualized Rate |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| [BTC](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin) | 0.0059% | 0.0062% | 0.0033%–0.0083% | 6.49% |
| [ETH](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum) | 0.0049% | 0.0046% | 0.0035%–0.0059% | 5.41% |

Funding stayed positive, so longs paid shorts. However, neither rate approached the **0.03% per eight hours** level associated with extreme long crowding.

The Fear & Greed Index stood at **57**, classified as **Greed**. Its two-day average was 54, and the seven-day reading rose by six points. Social sentiment was cautiously bullish, not euphoric. Traders focused on [Bitcoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin) support near $75,000–$76,000 and resistance near $77,000–$77,500.

## What to Watch

- **[Bitcoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin) support and resistance:** Holding $76,000 would preserve the rebound structure. A break above $77,500 would improve momentum, while a loss of $75,000 would weaken it.
- **ETF flow data:** Track the next U.S. spot ETF report after the cited $450 million outflow on September 16 and the reported 4,300 BTC outflow on September 17.
- **[Ethereum](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum) leverage:** Open interest is at $32.48 billion after rising 2.69%. A price decline with elevated open interest would raise liquidation risk.
- **Altcoin follow-through:** [NEAR Protocol](https://coinstats.app/coins/near) needs to hold the $3.40 area after its 30.26% surge. [Arbitrum](https://coinstats.app/coins/arbitrum) must hold roughly $0.21, while [Uniswap](https://coinstats.app/coins/uniswap) needs follow-through above $8.62.
- **Regulatory and protocol timelines:** Monitor public comments on the SEC Innovation Exemption, the October 6 Sepolia Glamsterdam test, and the September 29 client-readiness deadline.

The market is risk-on at the surface, but the underlying signals are mixed. Large-cap altcoins rallied on a regulatory narrative, while ETF redemptions remained heavy. Derivatives showed short covering rather than extreme long leverage. That supports the rebound, but it does not yet confirm a durable trend reversal.

**Sources:**
- [SEC Issues Innovation Exemption for Tokenized NMS Stock Trading](https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026-90-sec-issues-innovation-exemption-facilitate-trading-tokenized-nms-stock-request-comment)
- [SEC Commissioner Uyeda Statement on the Innovation Exemption](https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/uyeda-statement-innovation-exemption-091726)
- [SEC Chairman Atkins Statement on the Innovation Exemption](https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/atkins-innovation-exemption-bridge-toward-durable-rulemaking-091726)
- [CoinStats Market Data](https://coinstats.app/)
- [Bitcoin](https://coinstats.app/coins/bitcoin)
- [Ethereum](https://coinstats.app/coins/ethereum)
- [NEAR Protocol](https://coinstats.app/coins/near)
- [Arbitrum](https://coinstats.app/coins/arbitrum)
- [Uniswap](https://coinstats.app/coins/uniswap)
- [Zcash](https://coinstats.app/coins/zcash)
- [Bitcoin ETF Cumulative Net Flows Fall to $55 Billion](https://cryptobriefing.com/bitcoin-etf-cumulative-net-flows-55b)
- [U.S. Bitcoin ETF Reports 4,300 BTC Outflows](https://www.gate.com/news/detail/us-bitcoin-etf-sees-4300-btc-outflows-today-ethereum-etf-loses-76217-eth-24348734)
- [Bitcoin’s Post-Fed Bounce Echoes the Start of the 2022 Bear Market](https://www.coindesk.com/daybook-us/2026/09/17/optimism-creeps-back-into-crypto-with-the-2022-test-still-to-come)
- [Bitcoin Rebounds Above $77,000](https://www.tradingkey.com/news/market-movers/262173103-market-movers-btcusd-20260917)
- [Crypto Market Recovery and DeFi Gains](https://www.coingabbar.com/en/crypto-news-today-bitcoin-ethereum-price-fed-rate-hike-update)
- [Nostra Lending Protocol Exploited for $3.5 Million](https://phemex.com/news/article/nostra-lending-protocol-drained-of-35m-following-nstr-oracle-manipulation-97049)
- [Nostra Exploit and September Crypto Losses](https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/73caf-nostra-starknet-oracle-exploit-market-paused)
- [Ethereum Glamsterdam Testnet Builder Abuse Warning](https://crypto.news/ethereum-warns-glamsterdam-testnet-faces-builder-abuse/)
- [Ethereum Glamsterdam Rehearsal and Capacity Upgrade](https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/09/17/ethereum-s-upcoming-glamsterdam-upgrade-clears-rehearsal-for-a-big-jump-in-capacity)
- [NEAR Confidential TVL Reaches $70 Million](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nearcoms-confidential-tvl-reaches-70-million-triggering-the-near3-33-snapshot-amid-industry-wide-privacy-wave-302881903.html)
- [NEAR Price Reaction to the NEAR@3.33 Snapshot](https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/09/17/near-price-jumps-14-3-to-2-87-as-70m-confidential-tvl-triggers-near-3-33-snapshot/)
- [Uniswap SEC Innovation Exemption Coverage](https://www.tradingview.com/news/coinmarketcal%3A0bf8f8c9b094b%3A0-uniswap-sec-innovation-exemption-covers-permissioned-pools-for-tokenized-stock-trading-17-sep-2026)
- [Uniswap Founder Responds to SEC AMM Comments](https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/uniswap-founder-reacts-to-sec-s-peirce-on-exemptions-for-permissionless-amms)
- [Arbitrum Rally and Innovation Exemption](https://www.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/arbitrum-price-forecast-arb-extends-rally-on-innovation-exemption-amid-rising-tokenized-funds-202609180519)
- [X.com Crypto Sentiment Coverage](https://x.com/FluxHaven10/status/2100689971455619348)
- [Nostra Finance Official Exploit Statement](https://x.com/nostrafinance/status/2100577538053493076)
- [SEC Delay on the XRP Short ETF](https://u.today/sec-rejects-19th-xrp-short-etf-while-bitcoin-and-ethereum-drop-111-billion-main-crypto-news-this)

---

## Related Questions

- What specific venues are currently eligible to trade tokenized NMS stocks under the SEC exemption?
- How do the SEC Innovation Exemption requirements differ between permissioned AMM pools and traditional stock exchanges?
- What regulatory changes would the SEC need to implement for the Innovation Exemption to become permanent?

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*This article was generated by [CoinStats AI](https://coinstats.app/ai)*