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It’s been four months, over 120 days, since Strategy’s dividend vehicle, STRC, broke parity and the executive leadership made getting it back to its $100 peg its absolute, number one priority.

Since then, it’s never, not even for a second, managed to get back to parity.

This week, however, as Strategy continued a major shift in its business model — repurchasing shares of STRC instead of buying BTC — it seemed as though it would finally succeed, with STRC cruising to $99 on Monday.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

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The next day, STRC fell back to nearly $97. There’s no evidence of further internal purchases yet.

Read more: MSTR has lost 75% of its value since STRC began trading

More STRC sellers than buyers

Despite months of buying its own dividend vehicle, countless promises, and Strategy executives claiming that STRC is priority number one for the firm, the asset has remained stubbornly off-parity.

The CLARITY Act failing to pass only hurt the company’s cause more, with Strategy down 7% on the day.

In the meantime, Strategy Chairman Michael Saylor has continued to incessantly repost strange, bullish Bitcoin AI videos.

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London, September 16, 2026 – Wirex, the global stablecoin infrastructure provider, has today launched Wirex One, the first stablecoin neobank built for the growing segment of mass affluent consumers, to the public. The platform is a day-one launch partner on Arc’s mainnet, delivering a private banking experience with true asset ownership. 

Following a closed beta that amassed over 20,000 users in testing since June, Wirex One is now available globally.

Wirex One launches as part of Wirex’s wider integration with Arc, making Arc available as a settlement layer for any partner issuing cards and accounts through the Wirex API. Arc is an open blockchain network built for the world’s financial markets, real-time money movement, and agentic economic activity. 

Wirex One was created for an underserved market. The global private banking market is projected to grow by over 10% annually to reach $1.24 trillion by 2035, yet a large segment of affluent individuals remain structurally underserved: too wealthy for retail banking, but below the minimum for traditional private banking. Stablecoins are closing that gap, enabling secure, borderless wealth management that the traditional financial system cannot provide.

Wirex One brings private banking onchain, managing everyday spending, yield, overseas transfers, borrowing, and investing from a single place. Arc was strategically chosen as the foundation for Wirex One due to its stablecoin-native, payments-optimised design, with a built-in privacy layer and real-time settlement.

Paired with Privy’s non-custodial wallet technology, it gives users complete ownership over their assets and institutional-grade security, without the complexity that typically comes with crypto wallets.

At launch, key features include:

• Stablecoin-funded card with up to 8% cashback in USD, instantly spendable in everyday life
• Access to selected crypto and stablecoin yield features
• Support for a wide range of crypto assets
• Multi-currency accounts, with fee-free FX and ATM withdrawals globally
• Ability to send and receive via SEPA, ACH, Faster Payments, card transfers, and crypto transfers
• Innovative membership model, offering higher rewards, fee-free trading, dedicated account management, and 50% off premium subscriptions for leading AI and financial platforms for higher tiers

Pavel Matveev, Co-Founder & CEO of Wirex, said: “A new wave of fintech apps are being built on stablecoin rails, and they all need the same foundation: regulated issuing, accounts, settlement, and yield. Wirex One is our own consumer platform built on that infrastructure, redefining what a private bank can be: a bank you control, not one that controls you. Every partner integrating with Wirex’s infrastructure gets the same rails, the same scheme access, and now the same day-one access to Arc.”

Today’s announcement is a major milestone in Wirex’s vision to build a unified, onchain suite of financial services for consumers and businesses on their stablecoin infrastructure, which recently reached $2 billion annualised card spend volume. In the coming weeks, Wirex One will expand to include tokenised equities and perpetuals.

More information about Wirex One, including card availability in supported jurisdictions, is available at Wirex’s website.

Developers can learn more about integrating with Wirex’s infrastructure on Arc here. The list of supported countries can be viewed here. Rewards are valued in USD

About Wirex

Wirex is the global stablecoin infrastructure behind a complete banking stack. Through a single API, any app, wallet or fintech can launch regulated accounts, cards, payments, payouts, yield, cashback and travel, settled in stablecoins, on any chain. Wirex is one of the few crypto-enabled platforms with principal membership of both Visa and Mastercard, settling in USDC and EURC without an intermediary bank. 

Wirex builds its own products on that same infrastructure, through the same API: Wirex One, a stablecoin neobank for consumers, with Wirex Private as its highest membership tier; Wirex Business for companies; and Wirex Agents, giving AI agents the ability to transact onchain. 

Trusted by over 8 million users since 2014, Wirex has processed more than $20 billion in transactions across 130 countries, and created the first crypto-enabled card in 2015. Built on a decade-long track record of regulatory compliance, enterprise-grade security and onchain innovation, Wirex is creating a financial system where money moves globally and instantly, giving consumers and businesses true ownership, privacy by architecture, and access to the next generation of global payments and settlement.

Disclaimers: 

Arc is an open L1 blockchain launched by Arc Network Services LLC (“Arc LLC”) and operated by a permissioned validator set. Arc LLC provides software services only and does not offer regulated financial or advisory services. Arc has not been reviewed or approved by the New York State Department of Financial Services or any other regulatory authority. 

The Arc network is provided “as is” and “as available.” Use of Arc involves inherent risks associated with blockchain technology, including smart contract vulnerabilities, network disruptions, and the absence of recourse for transaction errors or losses. The ability to transact on Arc depends on the ability to obtain and use USDC to pay gas fees. Neither Arc LLC nor any permissioned validator is responsible for the content, accuracy, legality, or functionality of third-party applications, protocols, or services built on or integrated with Arc. You are solely responsible for features or services you provide to users, including obtaining any necessary licenses or approvals and otherwise complying with applicable laws. 

All Arc features may be modified, delayed, or cancelled at any time without notice. Nothing herein constitutes a commitment, warranty, guarantee or legal, regulatory, tax, or investment advice.

The post Wirex One Launches Publicly on Arc, Bringing Stablecoin Private Banking to the Mass Affluent Market appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Markets are pricing roughly a 90% probability of a 25-basis-point Federal Reserve rate hike at the September FOMC meeting, according to the Danske Research Team.

The team revised its own call this week and now expects that outcome. For Bitcoin watchers, the key distinction is between market expectations and a confirmed policy decision: the hike is still expected, but it has not yet been delivered.

The research team says tightening now likely represents the path of least resistance, given current market pricing and its longstanding view that rate hikes are eventually on the horizon.

At the same time, it does not regard the decision as completely settled. That leaves the meeting relevant not only for the headline rate decision, but also for the details released alongside it.

Readers following FOMC odds into the September rate decision should distinguish between the reported 90% probability and any broader claims about how Bitcoin or other assets are positioned. The supplied research supports the market-pricing estimate, but it does not provide a verified assessment of Bitcoin positioning, leverage, or current price action.

Will the Expected Hike Be the Main Bitcoin Catalyst?

The Danske Research Team identifies the FOMC meeting as the week’s main US event. Alongside its expected 25-basis-point hike, the team expects the Fed to publish updated economic projections and a fresh set of rate projections, commonly called the dot plot.

The vote itself is also worth watching. Danske Research Team expects two or three dissenters in favor of holding rates, even as it maintains its call for a hike. That expectation underscores that the meeting is not a done deal. The final decision and any recorded dissents will provide the clearest evidence of how the committee resolved that tension.

The projections also carry an expected qualification. The team still expects the FOMC to publish the dots even if Fed official Warsh again chooses not to submit personal rate-path views. If that happens, the published material would still be available, but it would not include Warsh’s personal submission.

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What the Fed FOMC Signal Could Mean for Bitcoin

For Bitcoin-focused market analysis, the meeting presents several elements to monitor: the rate decision, the vote count, updated economic projections, and the dot plot.

Available evidence shows that the market strongly expects a hike and that projections and dots are expected to be published. It does not establish a specific Bitcoin reaction to any of those elements.

Commentary about the dot plot, future policy language, or a possible press-conference message should therefore be treated as market interpretation rather than a conclusion supplied by the primary research.

Likewise, it would be premature to describe any particular outcome as bullish or bearish for Bitcoin without independently verified market evidence.

The immediate question is not whether market pricing confirms it. It does not. The reported probability reflects expectations ahead of the meeting, while the FOMC’s decision will determine the actual policy outcome. The same caution applies to claims about risk assets, crypto-market volatility, or how fully expectations are reflected in trading activity.

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The post Bitcoin’s Next Fed Test Is Today’s FOMC Meeting: Will $75K Hold? appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Copyright ©2026 Investor’s Business Daily, LLC. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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Bitcoin (BTC) is stuck in a narrow price range as investors wait for the U.S. Federal Reserve to announce its interest-rate decision on Wednesday. Selling has slowed, but buying has not been strong enough to push BTC clearly higher.

According to Bitfinex Alpha, Bitcoin has traded within a 5.5% range for more than 24 sessions, keeping the market quiet. The report says the next move could depend on whether new demand returns after the Fed decision, as traders have built positions at both ends.

Selling Eases, but Buyers Remain Cautious

About 840,000 BTC have a cost basis within this narrow range, meaning they were bought at prices inside it. Glassnode’s sell-side risk ratio has fallen to seven basis points, showing that long-term holders are taking fewer profits.

Newer investors now account for most of the remaining supply, but trading activity remains low. In other words, sellers have become less aggressive without a strong wave of new buyers stepping in.

Leverage has also built up around the current price levels, which could make any breakout more volatile. CoinGlass data show about $1.95 billion in possible short liquidations near $82,000, while long positions are concentrated around $75,000 to $76,000.

Institutional demand has also weakened, adding another obstacle to a sustained move higher. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw over $460 million in outflows last week, selling approximately 5,900 BTC, while Ether ETFs took in $196.9 million. September ETF flows remain positive, but recent outflows show weaker institutional demand could limit Bitcoin’s upside.

Inflation Keeps Pressure on the Fed

Inflation is adding another challenge, with August prices rising 0.4% from the previous month and 3.4% over the year. Core inflation eased to 2.4%, but gasoline prices rose 3.9%, and diesel reached $5.65 per gallon.

Higher energy costs could keep inflation elevated, especially as Brent crude trades above $100 a barrel and U.S. strategic reserves fall to 285.4 million barrels. This could reduce expectations for easier monetary policy and keep pressure on interest rates.

Markets now see an 88.5% chance of a 25-basis-point rate hike on September 16. The U.S. 10-year real Treasury yield has risen to 2.55%, making non-yielding assets such as Bitcoin less attractive to some investors.

The post Bitcoin Stays Stuck as Traders Wait for the Fed’s Next Move appeared first on CryptoPotato.

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Yesterday morning, the head of the US Treasury proudly reported in front of Congress that the government had just run two of its best bond auctions in decades.

By 1pm, the Treasury conducted its worst 20-year bond auction in history.

On Tuesday, the US government had to pay a record-breaking 5.42% interest yield-to-maturity to sell its auction of 20 year maturity bonds — the most expensive cost of capital the US government has paid for Treasuries of this maturity since modern record-keeping began in 1986.

On a bit of a technicality, the government avoided paying 5.42% interest on the bonds, instead paying 5.125% yet selling them below par to mathematically offer 5.42% de facto yield to purchasers.

Worse, the particular type of investors Washington needs for offloading its sovereign debt — foreign investors — bought the lowest percentage ever of that $13 billion auction.

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Record cost to borrow money for 20 years

Bond auctions aren’t complicated. The US Treasury offers IOUs, and buyers around the world name the yield they’ll accept.

At each live auction, yield-to-maturity is focus. The bond’s effective interest rate is the cost of capital for the US government.

The higher the yield, the less creditworthy the US government is in the opinion of bond traders. With $40.1 trillion and rising of outstanding debt that costs taxpayers over $1.1 trillion per year in interest payments, US debt-to-GDP at 123% is a growing concern for bond investors.

Tuesday’s sale was terrible on three counts.

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The rate was the start of the disaster. Twenty-year bonds traded around 5.40% minutes before the sale and cleared at 5.42%. In other words, Washington paid more than the open market was charging at the end, just to find sufficient takers to fully clear the auction.

Traders call that additional 0.02% a two basis point “tail,” and it was the worst tail for any 20-year auction since 2024.

Second, the crowd mix was terrible. So-called “indirect bidders” are Treasury auction participants like foreign central banks and overseas buyers.

Like any sovereign, the US wants to sell as much of its debt to buyers abroad as possible.

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Instead, indirect bidders took just 52.5% of yesterday’s auction, lower than August’s 62.9% and the lowest percentage on record for any 20-year Treasury auction since the 1980s besides a small, idiosyncratic $25 million special auction in 2021.

Third, the liquidity or depth of demand was thin as well, as measured by the bid-to-cover ratio. Specifically, bids covered yesterday’s bond sale 2.57 times, below the 2.65 average of the previous six auctions.

Read more: How the bond market helped push BTC to all-time high

Did Scott Bessent expect no one would notice?

Given the historically bearish turnout for yesterday’s Treasuries sale, anyone could rightly be curious as to why Secretary Scott Bessent had so little foresight when boasting about the supposed strength of US creditworthiness during yesterday’s Congressional testimony.

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To be fair, despite the immediate embarassment, Bessent actually had a real basis for his positive remarks for a few hours prior to 1pm. 

Indeed, last week’s 10-year and 30-year bond sales went smoothly.

Indirect bidders took a healthy 79.5% of the $22 billion 30-year bond sale on September 10, for example. That success was true and fleetingly newsworthy.

Questioned at a US House hearing, Bessent leaned in.

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“We then proceeded to have the two most successful treasury auctions that we’ve had in 20 years, and the US bond market, since President Trump has come in, has been the best performing bond market in the developed world.”

Connecticut Democrat Jim Himes wasn’t buying it. “Wait, wait, wait. The 10-year went up by 20 basis points. How can you say it was successful?” he asked, hours before the 20-year auction supplied an even worse data point.

Treasury yields provide the floor under which banks price mortgage and corporate borrowing rates. The household version, i.e. the average 30-year mortgage rate in the US, costs homeowners an alarming 6.76%.

Interest expense on the national debt now costs more than $1.1 trillion a year and is the US government’s second biggest expense behind Social Security payments.

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The next 20-year US bond auction is scheduled for October 21, 2026.

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