Fed Rate Cut Anticipation and Major Token Unlocks Shape Crypto Market

I. Crypto Market Overview

Key Takeaways

Macro Environment

The Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada are expected to announce rate cuts, signaling a shift to looser monetary policy and boosting crypto liquidity. The SEC's preliminary settlement with Gemini reflects a softer U.S. regulatory stance, supporting market confidence. Hong Kong and Singapore are advancing a regulated token corridor, enabling compliant cross-border digital asset flows.

Crypto Market

The crypto market showed mixed performance over the past 12 hours. Bitcoin (BTC) traded at $114,965 (+0.23%), while Ethereum (ETH) fell to $4,445.57 (-1.47%), with ETH underperforming on profit-taking ahead of EDCON Osaka. Immutable (IMX) led altcoins, surging 10.1% to $0.69 on strong NFT activity. Monero (XMR) rose 5.9% to $318.92 amid privacy demand, and MYX Finance (MYX) gained 3.5% to $10.88, driven by DeFi upgrades. NFT and privacy sectors outperformed, while most other altcoins saw muted moves.

Today's Outlook

Today's highlights include the unlock of 127.26 million WalletConnect (WCT) tokens, representing 12.73% of supply and valued at $38.7 million, which may impact WCT price and liquidity. EDCON 2025 Osaka opens, drawing global attention to Ethereum ecosystem developments and potential protocol announcements.

Fear and Greed Index

96.00% Annual Percentile

51 Neutral

Total Crypto Market Cap

$3.99T

0.21%

Total Market Trading Volume

$135.72B

17.17%

Altcoin Season Index

58.33%

Quarterly Percentile

72 / 100

Total Futures Market Open Interest

3.99B

1.12%

Futures

873.43B

2.62%

Perpetuals

II. Industry Updates

Macro-economic Policies

The US Treasury Secretary confirmed a 25 basis points rate cut, signaling a shift to looser monetary policy. This move is expected to boost crypto market liquidity and may support BTC and DeFi asset prices.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will meet on Wednesday to discuss a potential interest rate cut. Market participants anticipate increased volatility for BTC and ETH as monetary policy direction becomes clearer.

Canada's August CPI rose 1.9% year-over-year, slightly below expectations. This supports market consensus for a Bank of Canada rate cut, which could weaken CAD and drive capital flows into crypto assets.

Tether minted $1 billion USDT at its Treasury, indicating rising stablecoin demand. This large-scale issuance may enhance DeFi liquidity and facilitate larger on-chain transactions.

The US dollar fell to multi-month lows ahead of the Fed rate decision, while Treasury yields traded in a tight range. A weaker dollar typically supports BTC and altcoin prices by increasing global demand for crypto.

Cryptocurrency Regulatory Trends

The SEC and Gemini Trust have reached a preliminary settlement in the Earn program lawsuit, signaling a softer regulatory stance and boosting market confidence in U.S. crypto compliance.

Tether will launch USAT, a U.S.-regulated stablecoin issued via Anchorage Digital Bank, fully compliant with the GENIUS Act, setting a new standard for stablecoin transparency and federal oversight.

The UK faces criticism for proposed caps on stablecoin holdings, with industry leaders warning such restrictions could undermine London's competitiveness and drive crypto innovation offshore.

Hong Kong and Singapore are advancing a regulated token corridor, with Hong Kong's new stablecoin licensing regime and Singapore's established framework enabling cross-border compliant digital asset flows.

U.S. banking groups are lobbying to tighten the GENIUS Act, aiming to close perceived loopholes that allow crypto platforms to offer stablecoin rewards, which could impact DeFi incentives and competition.

Immutable (IMX): IMX surged 10.1% in 24h to $0.69, with trading volume up 176% to $198.7M, driven by strong NFT ecosystem activity and increased user engagement.

Monero (XMR): XMR rose 6.0% in 24h to $318.20, with $150.3M volume, as privacy coin demand increased amid market volatility and regulatory discussions.

MYX Finance (MYX): MYX gained 4.0% in 24h to $10.87, with $127.6M volume, supported by recent protocol upgrades and high DeFi trading activity across multiple chains.

Smart Money Movements

BlackRock's Ethereum ETF recorded a $364.5 million net inflow on September 15, with 80,768 ETH added and daily trading volume reaching $1.5 billion.

BitMine Immersion Technologies increased its Ethereum holdings by 2.151 million ETH, valued at $1.87 billion, bringing its total ETH treasury to $10.8 billion.

Forward Industries acquired 6.82 million Solana (SOL) tokens at an average price of $232, totaling $1.58 billion, following a $1.65 billion PIPE raise.

A whale unstaked and sold 53,194 SOL for $12.41 million USDC, realizing a profit of approximately $3.2 million in a single transaction.

CleanCore expanded its Dogecoin holdings by 100 million DOGE, bringing its total to over 600 million DOGE as part of its treasury strategy.

Events to Watch

Sep 16 (Tue)

WalletConnect (WCT): 127.26M tokens (12.73% of supply, ~$38.7M) unlocks today; EDCON 2025 Osaka opens, focusing on Ethereum ecosystem.

Sep 17 (Wed)

US Federal Reserve, Bank of Canada, Central Bank of Brazil, and Bank of Indonesia to announce interest rate decisions; Stellar Meridian Conference begins in Rio.

Sep 18 (Thu)

Bank of England interest rate decision; DeAgent AI (AIA), Lombard (BARD), and Mavryk Network (MVRK) Token Generation Events; XRP ETF launches in US.

Table of Contents