Bitcoin Slips Near US$76,838 as Rate Bets Firm
Key Facts
- Bitcoin settled at US$76,838 on Sunday, September 13, 2026, down 0.56% day on day as rate-hike bets firmed near 90% ahead of Wednesday’s Fed decision.
- Ethereum fell harder, closing at US$2,477, a drop of 1.94%, widening the performance gap between the leading smart-contract token and Bitcoin.
- Solana was the weakest major, ending at US$99.25, down 2.50% as speculative altcoin positions were trimmed into the US interest-rate decision.
- XRP settled at US$1.3406, down 1.90%, reflecting the broader risk-off tone across crypto assets on Sunday.
- Inflation held at 3.4% annually while core inflation cooled to 2.4%, yet a hot monthly core reading pushed market-implied odds of a Federal Reserve hike to roughly 90%.
- Brazil received US$318.8 billion in crypto value in the year to June 2025, nearly a third of all Latin American activity, with stablecoins roughly US$89 billion of declared Brazilian volume.
Today’s Focus
Bitcoin closed near US$76,838 on Sunday, a modest 0.56% fall. Ethereum, Solana and XRP lost closer to 2% or more. Traders treated the session as a risk-reduction exercise before the Federal Reserve’s rate decision.
The trigger was inflation data. Headline US prices held at 3.4% annually, with a hot monthly core reading. That pushed the odds of another Fed hike to roughly 90% ahead of Wednesday’s decision. Firmer rate expectations have quietly eroded the case for holding volatile, non-yielding assets such as crypto.
For Latin America, the chart moves matter less than the plumbing beneath them. Stablecoins continue to dominate regional volumes. Brazil’s Q1 2026 share reached 98% of a US$6.9 billion quarterly crypto total, while Argentina’s crypto purchases remain more than 70% USDT and USDC.
El Salvador’s sovereign Bitcoin treasury has grown to about 7,773 BTC, worth roughly US$597 million. Digital-currency remittances reached only US$35.4 million in the first half, just 0.7% of total remittances despite 39.1% year-on-year growth.
What matters today. The Sunday dip is a rates story, not a crypto-specific crash. For Latin America, the durable trend remains stablecoin adoption for dollar access and payments.
01 The session in one read
Bitcoin settled at US$76,838 on Sunday, September 13, losing 0.56%. The session was dominated by preparation for the Federal Reserve’s looming rate decision, not any crypto-specific shock.
The softer bitcoin move masked sharper falls among smaller majors. Ethereum dropped 1.94% to US$2,477, Solana slid 2.50% to US$99.25, and XRP lost 1.90% at US$1.3406.
02 The board
The pattern across the four tracked instruments tells a clear story. Bitcoin, with its deeper liquidity and institutional sponsorship, fell less than the rest.
Ethereum’s steeper 1.94% decline to US$2,477 reflects the market’s impatience with assets whose cash flows arrive later. Solana at US$99.25 and XRP at US$1.3406 show traders cutting the most speculative legs first.
| Asset | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | US$76,838 | -0.56% |
| Ethereum | US$2,477 | -1.94% |
| Solana | US$99.25 | -2.50% |
| XRP | US$1.3406 | -1.90% |
Trade date 2026-09-13. Prices from RT. Where a commodity has no spot feed, an exchange-traded tracker or leading producer is shown as a labelled proxy.
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Latin America — Cross-Market Board
| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBOV | 169,186.42 | -1.06% | +19.56% | 171,006.10 | 178,526 | 175,157 | — |
| IPSA | 10,545.23 | -1.24% | — | 10,677.94 | 10,722 | 10,633 | — |
| IPC MEX | 69,441.29 | +0.37% | +12.74% | 69,182.39 | 70,008 | 69,383 | 49,372,306 |
| MERVAL | 2,848,945 | — | +12.65% | 2,859,051 | — | — | — |
| COLCAP | 2,489.93 | -0.63% | — | — | — | — | — |
| USD/BRL | 5.34 | -1.32% | -0.84% | 5.42 | 5.42 | 5.30 | — |
| EUR/BRL | 5.95 | +7.53% | -4.87% | 5.54 | 6.04 | 5.92 | — |
| USD/MXN | 18.69 | +0.62% | +1.45% | 18.57 | 18.69 | 18.54 | — |
| USD/CLP | 983.47 | -0.57% | +5.64% | 989.13 | 991.87 | 979.07 | — |
| USD/COP | 3,149 | +3.06% | -18.02% | 3,056 | 3,173 | 3,111 | — |
| USD/PEN | 3.45 | +0.17% | +3.85% | 3.44 | 3.45 | 3.44 | — |
| USD/ARS | 1,537 | -0.28% | +3.77% | 1,541 | 1,541 | 1,537 | — |
| USD/UYU | 40.21 | +3.57% | +2.29% | 38.83 | 40.21 | 40.08 | — |
| USD/PYG | 5,803 | +3.78% | -16.54% | 5,592 | 5,803 | 5,735 | — |
| USD/BOB | 11.97 | +4.93% | +77.92% | 11.41 | 11.97 | 11.82 | — |
| USD/DOP | 60.54 | +1.83% | -4.34% | 59.45 | 61.14 | 59.85 | — |
| USD/CRC | 451.24 | +2.13% | -7.80% | 441.83 | 451.40 | 450.04 | — |
| USD/GTQ | 7.64 | +3.23% | +2.18% | 7.40 | 7.64 | 7.64 | — |
03 What moved it
US inflation held at 3.4% annually, and core inflation cooled to 2.4%. But a hot monthly core reading pushed Federal Reserve hike odds to roughly 90%.
That is the central driver. A higher-for-longer rate outlook raises the opportunity cost of holding bitcoin and ether. Decrypt noted that the Bitcoin golden cross flickered off as those rate-hike bets firmed.
Meanwhile, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded US$462.7 million in net outflows over the four sessions to Friday. That ended a three-week run of inflows and marked the heaviest weekly withdrawal in about ten weeks.
Bitcoin Suisse plans to move up to 60 Swiss roles to Bratislava and a new hub in Vietnam. Robinhood’s crypto volume rose 61% in August from July, to US$17.5 billion, but remained 38% below a year earlier.
04 The Latin American read
For most of Latin America, Sunday’s price action is a sideshow to the structural shift toward stablecoins.
Chainalysis put Brazil’s crypto inflows at US$318.8 billion in the year to June 2025, nearly a third of all Latin American activity. Argentina received US$93.9 billion and Mexico US$71.2 billion over the same period.
Brazil’s tax authority logged R$505.5 billion, about US$98.7 billion, in declared crypto volume in 2025, of which stablecoins were roughly US$89 billion. In the first quarter of 2026 stablecoins reached 98% of a US$6.9 billion quarterly crypto purchase total.
Resolutions 519, 520 and 521 took effect in Brazil on February 2, 2026, setting authorisation and anti-money-laundering rules for virtual-asset service providers. Minimum capital of R$10.8 million to R$37.2 million, about US$2.1 million to US$7.3 million, comes from Resolution 517 and Joint Resolution 14.
In Argentina, Bitso data show USDT and USDC at 72% of crypto purchases. A 2025 Bitwage survey found about 75% of crypto-paid workers prefer stablecoin salaries, a hedge against peso volatility.
El Salvador’s treasury now holds about 7,773 BTC, worth roughly US$597 million at current prices. Digital-currency remittances hit US$35.4 million in the first half of 2026, up 39.1% year-on-year but just 0.7% of the total.
05 The names to watch
Anchorage Digital, the US federally chartered crypto bank, added institutional custody, minting, redemption and staking for Frgmnt’s fUSD stablecoin. That widens the bridge between regulated banking and dollar-pegged assets.
Hyperliquid’s biggest risk is regulation, Ran Neuner told Cointelegraph, even though its network effects give it a competitive moat. The same regulatory uncertainty now hangs over Latin American exchanges, which are adapting to Brazil’s new rules and Argentina’s CNV registry under General Resolution 1058/2025.
Bitwise will close its Dogecoin ETF before its first anniversary, with BWOW ceasing trading on October 14. That is a reminder that niche crypto products face uneven demand even during strong retail cycles.
06 The outlook
The Senate’s first procedural vote on the CLARITY Act, due Tuesday, and Wednesday’s Federal Reserve decision will set the near-term tone. If hike odds stay near 90%, expect continued pressure on Ethereum and Solana relative to Bitcoin.
For Latin America, two things matter. The first is whether further dollar strength pushes more Argentine and Brazilian households into USDT and USDC as a savings vehicle. The second is whether El Salvador’s slow remittance adoption accelerates now that the country’s digital-currency infrastructure is maturing.
07 What to watch
- Federal Reserve decision, Wednesday: Markets price a hike at roughly 90%; a hike or hawkish hold could deepen altcoin losses and lift stablecoin demand in Argentina and Brazil.
- CLARITY Act cloture vote, Tuesday: The US Senate takes its first procedural vote on the digital-asset market structure bill, which would move most tokens to CFTC oversight.
- Brazil stablecoin share: Q1 2026 already shows stablecoins at 98% of US$6.9 billion in Brazilian crypto volume; any central bank tweak to Resolutions 519-521 could redirect that flow.
- Argentina CNV registry enforcement: With the CNV registry deadline passed at end-2025 and banks expected to gain digital-asset permissions in 2026, the next regulatory move could unlock institutional flows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Bitcoin fall on Sunday, September 13?
Bitcoin settled at US$76,838, down 0.56%, because hot monthly core US inflation pushed Federal Reserve hike odds to roughly 90%, raising the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding crypto.
Why did altcoins fall harder than Bitcoin?
Ethereum dropped 1.94%, Solana 2.50% and XRP 1.90% as traders trimmed the most speculative positions first; Bitcoin dominance stayed near 58.9%, showing capital rotating into the largest coin rather than leaving crypto entirely.
What does this mean for Latin America?
Very little for the dominant stablecoin trade. Brazil alone received US$318.8 billion in crypto value in the year to June 2025, and Argentina’s crypto purchases remain roughly 72% USDT and USDC.
Is El Salvador’s Bitcoin bet working?
The sovereign treasury holds about 7,773 BTC worth roughly US$597 million, but digital-currency remittances reached only US$35.4 million in the first half of 2026, just 0.7% of total remittances despite 39.1% year-on-year growth.
Market data: RT
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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