Crypto Markets: Bitcoin & the Majors — July 23, 2026
Key Facts
- Bitcoin closed at $65,899 with a daily move of -0.31% on the latest settled session shown in the brief.
- Ethereum closed at $1,932 with a daily move of -0.08% on the latest settled session shown in the brief.
- Solana closed at $77.91 with a daily move of -0.26% on the latest settled session shown in the brief.
- XRP closed at $1.1416 with a daily move of -0.08% on the latest settled session shown in the brief.
- Latin America handled nearly $1.5 trillion in crypto transaction volume between July 2022 and June 2025, with Brazil alone receiving $318.8 billion.
- Stablecoins drove $324 billion of transaction volume in Latin America in 2025, and they underpin remittances, savings and payments across Brazil, Argentina and El Salvador.
Today’s Focus
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and XRP were broadly softer in the latest settled session, with each posting small declines rather than a sharp risk-off sell-off. The pattern points to a market that is still consolidating after earlier swings, not one driven by panic.
The bigger story for Latin America is structural rather than tactical: stablecoins, the dollar-linked tokens used as digital cash, have become the region’s main crypto rail for saving, sending money and settling payments. Brazil is the biggest single market in the data, while Argentina and El Salvador remain important use cases because of inflation, dollar demand and remittances.
A key institutional development is Brazil’s B3 exchange launching options on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana futures, giving regulated investors exposure through familiar market plumbing. That matters because it pulls crypto deeper into mainstream finance rather than leaving it in the retail and offshore world.
For foreign readers, the takeaway is simple: in Latin America, crypto is less a trading story than a payments and dollar-access story. The variable to watch is how quickly remittance flows and business payments shift onto stablecoin rails.
What matters today. Stablecoins, not spot coins, are now the real Latin American crypto story.
01 The session in one read
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and XRP all finished slightly lower in the latest settled session, which points to a quiet pullback rather than a decisive break in sentiment. The moves were small enough to suggest that traders are waiting for a clearer catalyst.
The larger market message is that crypto is still moving in clusters: the major coins are not collapsing, but neither are they convincing investors that a fresh leg higher is under way. For Latin America, that matters less than the continued expansion of stablecoin use for payments and savings.
The latest price moves were modest, but the regional significance remains large because Latin America’s crypto growth is being driven by utility rather than speculation. Chainalysis data cited in the brief shows nearly $1.5 trillion in regional crypto transaction volume from July 2022 to June 2025, while 2025 stablecoin volume reached $324 billion.
Brazil remains the anchor market, El Salvador stays important because of its Bitcoin policy, and Argentina matters because stablecoins function as a digital dollar in a high-inflation environment. The most important variable to watch is the share of remittances and everyday payments settled in stablecoins.
02 The board
The verified board shows Bitcoin at $65,899, down 0.31% on the day, Ethereum at $1,932, down 0.08%, Solana at $77.91, down 0.26%, and XRP at $1.1416, down 0.08%. These are the latest settled-session figures provided for the wrap.
The mix is important: the top coins were weaker, but only marginally so. That usually signals a market trading within a range, where buyers and sellers are roughly balanced and the next move depends on new information rather than momentum alone.
| Asset | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | 65,899 $ | -0.31% |
| Ethereum | 1,932 $ | -0.08% |
| Solana | 77.91 $ | -0.26% |
| XRP | 1.1416 $ | -0.08% |
Source: EODHD close, 2026-07-23. 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 | 177,547.57 | +2.44% | +32.46% | 173,325.65 | — | — | — |
| IPSA | 11,009.22 | +0.50% | — | 10,954.04 | 11,019 | 10,913 | 1,513,213,483 |
| IPC MEX | 67,303.83 | +0.88% | +21.23% | 66,713.83 | 67,656 | 66,634 | 115,684,765 |
| MERVAL | 3,379,771 | +2.98% | +68.11% | 3,281,979 | — | — | — |
| COLCAP | 2,297.00 | -0.19% | — | 9.04 | 9.05 | 9.02 | 4,133 |
| BVL PERÚ | 57,575.02 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| USD/BRL | 5.05 | -0.37% | -9.16% | 5.07 | 5.06 | 5.05 | — |
| EUR/BRL | 5.78 | -0.76% | -11.45% | 5.82 | 5.78 | 5.77 | — |
| USD/MXN | 17.37 | -0.11% | -6.81% | 17.39 | 17.41 | 17.37 | — |
| USD/CLP | 937.27 | +0.17% | -1.36% | 935.70 | 938.15 | 937.15 | — |
| USD/COP | 3,205 | -1.57% | -21.27% | 3,256 | 3,205 | 3,200 | — |
| USD/PEN | 3.39 | -0.31% | -4.71% | 3.40 | 3.40 | 3.39 | — |
| USD/ARS | 1,482 | +0.30% | +18.06% | 1,478 | 1,482 | 1,482 | — |
| USD/UYU | 40.14 | +1.07% | +0.69% | 39.72 | 40.14 | 40.14 | — |
| USD/PYG | 6,035 | +1.50% | -19.46% | 5,946 | 6,035 | 6,035 | — |
| USD/BOB | 10.95 | +3.79% | +62.48% | 10.55 | 10.95 | 10.95 | — |
| USD/DOP | 57.99 | -0.36% | -3.43% | 58.20 | 58.34 | 57.99 | — |
| USD/CRC | 447.42 | +1.35% | -9.14% | 441.44 | 447.42 | 447.42 | — |
03 What moved it
The main driver was not a single headline but a lack of a strong one: the market appears to have been in a holding pattern, with large coins drifting rather than reacting to a new macro shock. The Rio Times brief for the prior session described the same broad tone, with Latin America’s crypto market shaped more by structural use than by day trading.
A second driver is the ongoing rotation inside crypto itself, where stablecoins continue to absorb much of the practical demand in the region. A third is institutionalisation in Brazil, where B3’s launch of options on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana futures gives investors a regulated way to gain exposure without holding the coins directly.
04 The Latin American read
Latin America recorded nearly $1.5 trillion in crypto transaction volume between July 2022 and June 2025, according to the briefed Chainalysis-based data, with Brazil alone receiving $318.8 billion. The region’s 2025 stablecoin volume was $324 billion, and that is the clearest sign that crypto is being used as digital dollars rather than as a pure speculation vehicle.
For Brazil, Argentina and El Salvador, the practical uses are different but related: Brazilians use stablecoins for payments and treasury management, Argentines use them to protect savings from local currency weakness, and El Salvador remains the symbolic Bitcoin market. Remittances matter because they are a natural fit for dollar-linked tokens that can move quickly and cheaply across borders.
05 The names to watch
Bitcoin remains the benchmark asset, but in Latin America it is often the entry point rather than the final destination for users who later move into stablecoins for utility. Ethereum matters because it remains a core settlement and application platform, while Solana is watched for speed-sensitive payments and trading activity.
On the regional side, B3 in Brazil is the key institutional name, because its crypto options bring the sector further into mainstream finance. Stablecoins such as Tether and USD Coin remain the practical names to watch for remittances, savings and cross-border business payments.
06 The outlook
The near-term outlook is for range-bound trading in the major coins unless a macro shock or major regulatory headline breaks the calm. The stronger medium-term trend in Latin America is the expansion of stablecoin infrastructure, especially where inflation, dollar scarcity or remittance demand make digital dollars useful.
07 What to watch
- remittances: Track whether stablecoins take a larger share of Latin American remittances, because that is the clearest test of crypto’s real-world usefulness.
- Brazil regulation: Watch B3 and Brazilian market rules, because institutional access can deepen liquidity and legitimacy.
- Argentina inflation hedge: Monitor Argentine demand for dollar-linked tokens, since inflation and currency controls keep supporting stablecoin use.
- El Salvador policy: Follow any shift in Bitcoin policy or usage data, because El Salvador remains the region’s policy outlier and a sentiment marker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the big coins down if the market is stable?
The latest moves are small enough to suggest consolidation rather than a broad risk-off event, so the market is waiting for a clearer catalyst.
Why does Latin America matter so much in crypto?
Because the region is using crypto at scale for practical needs such as saving in dollars, sending remittances and moving business payments, not just for speculation.
Are stablecoins more important than Bitcoin in the region?
In day-to-day use, yes: the cited data show stablecoins driving much of the transaction volume and underpinning the main payment and savings use cases.
What is the key variable to watch next?
The share of remittances and everyday payments settled through stablecoins rather than traditional transfer channels.
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