Key Facts
- Bitcoin settled higher at US$79,027 on Wednesday, gaining 0.59% on the day after a volatile US inflation release.
- Solana was the standout climbing 5.76% to US$102.17, while Ethereum added 2.58% to settle at US$2,506.
- XRP was the laggard easing 0.76% to US$1.4224 as traders cut leveraged positions after its recent rally.
- A hot US inflation print caused a brief intraday dip in bitcoin through the 8:30 a.m. Eastern release before buyers stepped back in.
- More than US$1.4 billion in bearish bets were liquidated in a single day last week as a squeeze began that later carried bitcoin above US$80,000, leaving the market sensitive to news.
- Latin America’s crypto use is mostly stablecoins with 98% of Brazil’s first-quarter purchases in stablecoins and over 70% of Argentina’s Bitso buys in USDT or USDC.
Today’s Focus
Bitcoin closed Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at US$79,027, up 0.59%, recovering from a brief dip after a hotter-than-expected US inflation figure. Ethereum settled at US$2,506, gaining 2.58%, while Solana was the session’s strongest major coin at US$102.17, up 5.76%.
XRP bucked the trend, falling 0.76% to US$1.4224. The move came as traders unwound leveraged positions following a week in which bitcoin first pushed above US$80,000 and then gave up that level after the inflation release.
For Latin American readers, the session matters less for the headline bitcoin price than for the infrastructure around it. The region’s adoption story is overwhelmingly a stablecoin story: in Brazil, 98% of crypto purchases in the first quarter of 2026 were stablecoins, and in Argentina more than 70% of buys on Bitso were USDT or USDC.
What matters today. The day’s real signal is that the bitcoin rally is fragile, but the underlying Latin American crypto trend of stablecoin dominance remains unchanged.
01 The session in one read
Bitcoin settled at US$79,027 on Wednesday, up 0.59% on the day, surviving a test from a US inflation report that ran hotter than expected. The coin briefly dipped through the 8:30 a.m. Eastern release before recovering.
Ethereum closed higher at US$2,506, a gain of 2.58%, while Solana surged 5.76% to US$102.17. XRP was the only major coin in the red, falling 0.76% to US$1.4224.
For Latin American investors, the session was a reminder that bitcoin’s speculative moves are secondary to the region’s structural shift into dollar-backed stablecoins. Brazil’s first-quarter 2026 purchases were 98% stablecoins on US$6.9 billion, and more than 70% of Argentine buys on Bitso were USDT or USDC. The variable to watch is whether El Salvador’s digital remittances keep growing at their current pace, after the first half of 2026 reached US$35.4 million, up 39.1% from a year earlier but still only 0.7% of the total.
02 The board
The price board shows a market still digesting the week’s earlier US$80,000 bitcoin breakthrough. Bitcoin settled up 0.59% on the day, Ethereum up 2.58%, and Solana up 5.76%.
XRP’s 0.76% decline to US$1.4224 stands out as a warning that leveraged long positions are being tested. The sharp one-day divergence between Solana and XRP tells you the rally is being led by specific coin stories, not a broad wave of buying.
| Asset | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | US$79,027 | +0.59% |
| Ethereum | US$2,506 | +2.58% |
| Solana | US$102.17 | +5.76% |
| XRP | US$1.4224 | -0.76% |
Source: RT board snapshot at the 00:00 UTC close of Wednesday, August 26, 2026, cross-checked against Yahoo Finance closing prints (bitcoin 79,026.75; Ethereum 2,506.74; Solana 102.16; XRP 1.4226).
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Latin America — Cross-Market Board
| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBOV | 174,586.26 | +0.01% | +21.85% | 174,576.80 | 168,310 | 167,142 | — |
| IPSA | 11,369.18 | -0.71% | — | 11,450.75 | 11,210 | 10,984 | 1,513,213,483 |
| IPC MEX | 66,644.91 | +0.53% | +12.17% | 66,293.07 | 66,121 | 65,405 | 108,886,187 |
| MERVAL | 3,024,971 | +0.53% | +30.51% | 3,022,485 | 3,042,365 | 2,991,150 | — |
| COLCAP | 2,504.68 | -0.15% | — | 9.04 | 9.05 | 9.02 | 4,133 |
| BVL PERÚ | 60,449.35 | +0.30% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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
The main catalyst on Wednesday was the US inflation print. The headline PCE price index — the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge — came in at 3.7% over the year, a tenth of a point hotter than expected, while the core reading matched forecasts. That triggered a brief dip before buyers returned.
The market was already on edge after a short squeeze — traders who had bet on falling prices being forced to buy back — liquidated more than US$1.4 billion of bearish positions in a single day last week and later pushed bitcoin through US$80,000. Commentary tied the bond-market backdrop to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s move to double the Treasury’s buyback operations for long-dated bonds.
04 The Latin American read
The most important Latin American figure is not bitcoin’s price but the dominance of stablecoins. Brazil’s crypto purchases in the first quarter reached US$6.9 billion, and 98% of that was in stablecoins, according to Central Bank of Brazil data.
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 US$25.4 million a year earlier, central bank figures show.
05 The names to watch
Galaxy opened retail crypto-backed credit lines on bitcoin, Ethereum and staked Solana at 8.99% APR without requiring customers to sell. Better and Coinbase launched a bitcoin-backed mortgage that lets US buyers pledge crypto as collateral toward a home purchase.
Listed products that track bitcoin rose in line with the coin on Wednesday, while Ethereum and Solana trackers posted stronger gains. These products show the industry is moving from plain trading toward lending and collateral-based finance.
06 The outlook
The post-inflation recovery suggests buyers remain willing to defend the low US$79,000 area, but the leveraged-position unwind in XRP is a cautionary signal. Traders are watching whether bitcoin can rebuild momentum toward US$80,000 without another wave of forced selling.
07 What to watch
- US inflation follow-through: Watch whether hotter inflation data persists, since that would pressure Treasury yields and crimp the fuel behind bitcoin’s recent squeeze higher.
- XRP leverage unwind: A further unwind in XRP futures would signal that speculative excess is leaving the market and could drag other majors lower.
- Bitcoin-backed lending products: New offerings from Galaxy, Better and Coinbase could create steady demand for bitcoin as collateral, reducing sell pressure.
- LatAm stablecoin flows: Quarterly purchase data from Brazil and Argentina will confirm whether the region’s 98% stablecoin share holds or shifts into more volatile coins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did bitcoin dip before recovering?
A US inflation release at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday showed the headline PCE price index 0.1 percentage point hotter than expected, triggering a brief dip before buyers returned to lift bitcoin 0.59%.
Which crypto performed best on Wednesday?
Solana gained 5.76% to settle at US$102.17, making it the strongest major coin, ahead of Ethereum’s 2.58% rise and bitcoin’s 0.59% gain.
Is Latin America adopting bitcoin or stablecoins?
Stablecoins dominate: Brazil’s first-quarter 2026 crypto purchases were 98% stablecoins, and over 70% of Argentina’s Bitso buys were USDT or USDC.
How big are crypto remittances in El Salvador?
They reached US$35.4 million in the first half of 2026, up 39.1% year over year, but still account for only 0.7% of all remittances.
Market data: RT; closing prints cross-checked with Yahoo Finance. 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
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