Key Facts
- Bitcoin settled at US$80,258 on Thursday, August 27, up 1.56% on the day and back above the US$80,000 line for the first time this week.
- Solana was the session’s standout jumping 6.89% to US$109.21 after Charles Schwab said it plans to add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink to its Schwab Crypto platform.
- Ethereum barely moved adding 0.17% to US$2,510, while XRP rose 2.15% to US$1.453.
- Nvidia’s strong results lifted everything with the chipmaker’s sales and profit beating forecasts, pulling crypto higher along with US stocks.
- Spot bitcoin ETF buying kept a floor under the market with a ninth straight day of net inflows: US$242.3 million on August 27 alone and about US$3.0 billion across the streak, Farside Investors data show.
- Latin America’s crypto use is mostly stablecoins with 98% of Brazil’s first-quarter 2026 purchases in dollar tokens and over 70% of Argentina’s Bitso buys in USDT or USDC.
Today’s Focus
Bitcoin settled at US$80,258 on Thursday, August 27, a 1.56% daily gain that pushed the largest cryptocurrency back above the US$80,000 level. The session extended a late-August rebound powered by steady buying of US spot bitcoin ETFs.
Solana stole the show, jumping 6.89% to US$109.21 after Charles Schwab said it plans to add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink to Schwab Crypto in the coming months. Ethereum was the laggard, up just 0.17% at US$2,510, while XRP added 2.15% to US$1.453.
The trigger for the broader move was Nvidia, which reported sales and profit above forecasts on Wednesday evening and sent its own shares up more than 4% after hours. US stocks rallied on Thursday and crypto rose with them.
For Latin America, the price action matters less than the stablecoin rails underneath. In Brazil, 98% of crypto purchases in the first quarter of 2026 were stablecoins, and in Argentina more than 70% of buys on the Bitso exchange were USDT or USDC.
What matters today. The rally is being driven by Wall Street money and a big US brokerage embracing more coins, but Latin America’s real crypto economy still runs on dollar tokens that barely moved.
01 The session in one read
Bitcoin settled at US$80,258 on Thursday, up 1.56% on the day, after dipping toward US$78,300 earlier in the session. The move was broad across the majors: Solana surged 6.89% to US$109.21, XRP rose 2.15% to US$1.453 and Ethereum added 0.17% to US$2,510.
The catalyst was only partly crypto-specific. Nvidia’s stronger-than-expected results lifted US stocks on Thursday, and digital assets rose along with them.
The close back above US$80,000 restores a level that has repeatedly invited selling this month, with traders now eyeing the US$82,000 to US$83,000 zone as the next test. For Latin American readers, the speculative moves in bitcoin and Solana are secondary to the structural story: Brazil’s crypto purchases in the first quarter of 2026 reached US$6.9 billion, and 98% of that was in stablecoins, according to Central Bank of Brazil data. The variable to watch is whether spot ETF inflows continue after Friday’s monthly options settlement, because that institutional bid is what has kept bitcoin above US$80,000.
02 The board
The four tracked names all closed higher, but the spread between them was telling. Solana’s 6.89% jump to US$109.21 came with a concrete catalyst: Charles Schwab said it plans to add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink to Schwab Crypto, which launched in May 2026 offering only bitcoin and Ethereum.
XRP’s 2.15% rise to US$1.453 and bitcoin’s 1.56% advance to US$80,258 reflected the broader upbeat mood. Ethereum’s 0.17% drift to US$2,510 showed money rotating toward the faster-moving names rather than leaving the market.
| Asset | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | US$80,258 | +1.56% |
| Ethereum | US$2,510 | +0.17% |
| Solana | US$109.21 | +6.89% |
| XRP | US$1.453 | +2.15% |
Source: RT board snapshot at the 00:00 UTC close of Thursday, August 27, 2026, cross-checked against Yahoo Finance’s bitcoin closing print of 80,261.86. Crypto trades around the clock, so levels move after the snapshot time.
Live Market IntelligenceThe live market board
Rio Times · Live Market Intelligence
Latin America — Cross-Market Board
| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBOV | 175,664.62 | +0.30% | +21.85% | 175,135.41 | 168,310 | 167,142 | — |
| IPSA | 11,445.90 | -0.22% | — | 11,470.79 | 11,210 | 10,984 | 1,513,213,483 |
| IPC MEX | 65,561.46 | -0.41% | +12.17% | 65,829.98 | 66,121 | 65,405 | 108,886,187 |
| MERVAL | 2,979,472 | -0.72% | +30.51% | 3,022,485 | 3,042,365 | 2,991,150 | — |
| COLCAP | 2,457.87 | -1.28% | — | 9.04 | 9.05 | 9.02 | 4,133 |
| BVL PERÚ | 60,779.49 | -1.40% | — | — | — | — | — |
| USD/BRL | 5.16 | +0.01% | -5.13% | 5.16 | 5.18 | 5.14 | — |
| EUR/BRL | 5.95 | +1.01% | -5.83% | 5.89 | 5.98 | 5.94 | — |
| USD/MXN | 17.06 | -0.24% | -8.58% | 17.10 | 17.08 | 17.01 | — |
| USD/CLP | 913.98 | +0.04% | -5.67% | 913.65 | 915.11 | 906.68 | — |
| USD/COP | 3,140 | +0.03% | -22.04% | 3,139 | 3,141 | 3,105 | — |
| USD/PEN | 3.36 | -0.66% | -4.82% | 3.38 | 3.38 | 3.35 | — |
| USD/ARS | 1,493 | +0.10% | +12.96% | 1,491 | 1,494 | 1,480 | — |
| USD/UYU | 40.27 | +1.24% | +1.80% | 39.77 | 40.27 | 40.23 | — |
| USD/PYG | 5,939 | +1.68% | -19.54% | 5,841 | 5,939 | 5,925 | — |
| USD/BOB | 11.64 | -0.76% | +72.04% | 11.73 | 11.72 | 11.64 | — |
| USD/DOP | 58.34 | +1.25% | -3.44% | 57.62 | 58.34 | 58.04 | — |
| USD/CRC | 445.92 | +0.89% | -9.71% | 441.97 | 448.50 | 445.92 | — |
03 What moved it
Three drivers explain Thursday’s close. First, Nvidia’s results removed a major worry for US stocks, and crypto followed the stock market higher almost immediately.
Second, the institutional bid from US spot bitcoin ETFs continued. Farside Investors data show nine straight days of net inflows from August 17 to August 27, totalling about US$3.0 billion, with US$242.3 million added on Thursday alone.
Third, the Schwab news gave traders a fresh reason to buy beyond bitcoin. The brokerage said clients will be able to buy and sell Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink in Schwab Crypto accounts in the coming months, at a fee of 0.75% per transaction, and it plans to add more coins over time.
04 The Latin American read
For Latin America, Thursday’s price action is a sidebar to the region’s real crypto story: stablecoins. Brazil’s crypto purchases in the first quarter of 2026 reached US$6.9 billion, and 98% of that was in dollar-backed stablecoins, Central Bank of Brazil data show.
In Argentina, more than 70% of purchases on the Bitso exchange were USDT or USDC, and around 75% of crypto-paid workers choose stablecoin salaries. El Salvador’s digital-currency remittances hit US$35.4 million in the first half of 2026, up 39.1% from a year earlier but still only 0.7% of the total.
The practical point is simple: workers paid in USDC or USDT, and families sending remittances, are shielded from bitcoin’s daily swings. What matters to them is everything that affects dollar liquidity and stablecoin rules, not where bitcoin closes on a Thursday.
05 The names to watch
Solana is the name to watch after Thursday’s outsized 6.89% gain. Schwab’s plan makes it the second big US brokerage to move beyond bitcoin and Ethereum in recent weeks, after Morgan Stanley’s E*Trade included Solana in its own crypto pilot.
Bitcoin remains the anchor, and the question is whether it can hold above US$80,000 through Friday’s monthly options settlement. Ethereum’s near-flat session suggests money is rotating within crypto rather than leaving it.
06 The outlook
The path for the next week runs through Friday’s options expiry, then through any follow-through from the Nvidia-driven stock rally. If spot ETF inflows continue at anything like the recent pace, the institutional bid should absorb selling near US$80,000 to US$82,000.
High borrowing by leveraged traders cuts both ways, though. A sharp wave of forced selling would hit smaller coins harder than bitcoin, and Solana’s fast 6.89% gain makes it especially exposed if the broader market stalls.
07 What to watch
- Friday options expiry: A large monthly batch of bitcoin options settles Friday; watch whether prices get pulled toward settlement levels in the final hours.
- Spot ETF inflows: Nine straight days of net buying totalling about US$3.0 billion have put a floor under bitcoin; a break in that streak would remove the market’s most reliable buyer.
- Schwab’s expansion: Adding Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink could bring a new class of US retail investors into these coins; watch Solana trading volumes for follow-through.
- Brazil stablecoin policy: With 98% of first-quarter Brazilian crypto purchases in dollar tokens, any central bank move on stablecoin rules matters more locally than bitcoin’s price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Solana jump 6.89% on August 27?
Charles Schwab said it plans to add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink to its Schwab Crypto platform in the coming months, and Solana led the day’s gains among major coins, closing at US$109.21.
What pushed bitcoin back above US$80,000?
Strong Nvidia results lifted US stocks and crypto together, and US spot bitcoin ETFs recorded a ninth straight day of net inflows, adding US$242.3 million on August 27 alone.
Does this rally matter for Latin America?
Less than the stablecoin rails underneath it. Brazil’s first-quarter 2026 crypto purchases were 98% stablecoins on US$6.9 billion, and over 70% of Argentine buys on Bitso were USDT or USDC.
When was this price snapshot taken?
Prices are the 00:00 UTC close of Thursday, August 27, 2026, cross-checked against Yahoo Finance. By 6:15 UTC on Friday, bitcoin was trading near US$79,900.
Market data: RT; closing prints cross-checked with Yahoo Finance. ETF flows: Farside Investors. Stablecoin and remittance figures: Central Bank of Brazil, Bitso, Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
LatAm Markets: Live Signals → — real-time movers, turnover leaders and FX across Latin America.
Read More from The Rio Times