Bitcoin Slips to US$83,100 as Trump’s Iran Remarks Offset Strong ETF Inflows
Key Facts
- Bitcoin traded near US$83,100 at 05:55 UTC on Monday, September 28, down about 1.6% over 24 hours, after President Donald Trump declined to rule out further strikes on Iran before the US midterm elections.
- The weekend itself was calm: Bitcoin touched about US$85,160 on Sunday on Coinbase before the selling came in Asian hours on Monday, leaving it roughly 1.2% below Friday’s midnight-UTC level.
- Ether fell about 2.0% to US$2,648, Solana 1.8% to US$119.00 and XRP 2.5% to US$1.481; XRP was the weakest major over the weekend, down about 5.6% since Friday.
- US spot bitcoin ETFs took in US$2.4 billion last week, their largest weekly inflow since October 2025, turning 2026 flows positive, according to SoSoValue data reported by The Block.
- In Brazil, crypto transfers of US$10,000 or more involving self-custody wallets must be reported to the Coaf financial-intelligence unit from October 1, under central-bank rules announced on September 23.
- Chainalysis ranked Brazil first in its 2026 global adoption index, with a US$252.5 billion crypto economy in the 12 months to June, while El Salvador’s holdings reached about 7,787 BTC.
Today’s Focus
Bitcoin traded near US$83,100 at 05:55 UTC on Monday, September 28 (02:55 in Brasília), down about 1.6% over 24 hours according to CoinGecko, with Coinbase and Kraken quoting the same level. The weekend was quiet until Asian trading opened on Monday, when comments from Washington about Iran pushed risk assets lower across the board.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump said he expects the war with Iran to end “very soon” but would not rule out more strikes before the midterm elections. “It’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that,” he said, according to CoinDesk. Nasdaq futures slipped about 0.7% and US crude rose about 1%.
The selling was broad but orderly: Ether, Solana and XRP each fell 2% to 2.5%, and the Bitcoin price move is small next to last week’s heavy ETF buying.
For Latin America, the week’s structural news is in Brazil, where new central-bank reporting rules for crypto transfers take effect on Thursday, October 1, three days before the first round of the general election.
What matters today. Iran headlines set the tone on Monday morning, but steady ETF demand and Brazil’s tighter crypto reporting regime will matter more for the region than one session’s dip.
01 The weekend in one read
Crypto markets drifted through Saturday and Sunday with little direction. Bitcoin moved from about US$84,090 at midnight UTC on Friday to about US$84,460 by the end of Sunday, and briefly touched about US$85,160 on Coinbase, close to the US$85,000 line flagged in Saturday’s wrap.
The move lower came on Monday. After Mr Trump’s remarks on Iran, Bitcoin fell to an intraday low of about US$82,680 on Coinbase before steadying near US$83,100 at 05:55 UTC. That leaves it about 1.2% below Friday’s midnight-UTC level and 1.6% down over 24 hours.
Monday’s dip is a reaction to headlines, not a change in the flow picture: spot ETFs took in US$2.4 billion last week and Friday was positive again. The risk is that Iran and oil turn into a bond-market story, lifting US yields that are already near their highest since 2007. If that happens, Bitcoin’s US$83,000–84,000 area is likely to be tested again this week.
02 The board
Every major was lower over 24 hours, and the smaller coins fell more than Bitcoin. Ether fell about 2.0% to US$2,648 after a Sunday high near US$2,720. Solana slipped 1.8% to US$119.00, giving back part of Friday’s 4.3% rally.
XRP was the weakest of the four largest traded coins over the weekend, down about 5.6% from Friday’s midnight-UTC level to US$1.481. BNB fell about 1.1% to about US$765, Cardano about 3.0% to US$0.2458 and Dogecoin about 3.3% to US$0.0932. The total crypto market was worth about US$2.86 trillion, down about 1.2%, according to Blockhead.
| Asset | Level | 24h change |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | US$83,100 | -1.6% |
| Ethereum | US$2,648 | -2.0% |
| Solana | US$119.00 | -1.8% |
| XRP | US$1.481 | -2.5% |
| BNB | US$765 | -1.1% |
| Cardano | US$0.2458 | -3.0% |
| Dogecoin | US$0.0932 | -3.3% |
Source: Coinbase, Kraken and CoinGecko spot prices at 05:55 UTC (02:55 Brasília time), Monday, September 28, 2026; 24-hour change from CoinGecko, cross-checked against Coinbase.
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Latin America — Cross-Market Board
| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBOV | 167,921.80 | -0.75% | +19.56% | 169,186.42 | 178,526 | 175,157 | — |
| IPSA | 10,254.15 | -2.76% | — | 10,545.26 | 10,722 | 10,633 | — |
| IPC MEX | 69,779.20 | -0.01% | +12.74% | 69,787.41 | 70,008 | 69,383 | 49,372,306 |
| MERVAL | 92,079 | -2.59% | +12.65% | 2,859,051 | — | — | — |
| COLCAP | 2,490.92 | +0.04% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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
The main driver was Iran. According to Blockhead, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States lifted its naval blockade, waived sanctions on Iranian oil, released US$12 billion in frozen assets and observed a ceasefire that included Lebanon. Mr Trump rejected the offer on Saturday, saying “it is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago.”
On Sunday he declined to rule out further strikes before the midterms, and Mr Araghchi said Iran was “fully prepared” for renewed conflict, CoinDesk reported. By 03:30 UTC, US crude was up nearly 1% at about US$93.28 a barrel and Nasdaq futures were down about 0.7%.
The second driver is rates. Last week’s strong US business-activity data kept the odds of a Federal Reserve rate increase in October near 70%, according to futures-based estimates in market reports. The 10-year Treasury yield closed Friday at 5.165%, near its highest since 2007. Higher oil feeds inflation fears, and that makes non-yielding assets like Bitcoin less attractive.
Flows pointed the other way. US spot bitcoin ETFs took in US$2.4 billion in the week to Friday, September 25, the largest weekly inflow since October 2025, including US$134.5 million on Friday. That turned 2026 net flows positive at about US$934 million, according to SoSoValue data reported by The Block. BlackRock’s IBIT took about US$1.2 billion of the total.
Ether ETFs added US$689.9 million over the week, Solana funds US$188.2 million, including a record US$86.7 million on Friday, and XRP funds US$75.6 million. XRP’s weekend weakness came as CoinDesk reported on Saturday that the Bitget hacker had moved about US$83 million in stolen XRP out of reach of freeze controls.
04 The Latin American read
Brazil is the main regional story this week. The Banco Central do Brasil announced on September 23 that crypto transfers of US$10,000 or more involving self-custody wallets must be reported to Coaf, the country’s financial-intelligence unit, from October 1, 2026, according to Agência Brasil. Some data-submission duties for central-bank supervision begin on January 1, 2027.
The US$10,000 threshold triggers reporting only; it does not ban or cap transactions. Firms already operating also face an October 30 deadline to request central-bank authorisation, Exame reported.
The rules arrive as Brazil tops the Chainalysis 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index, published on September 23, with a US$252.5 billion crypto economy in the 12 months to June 2026, according to The Block. Chainalysis also found growth in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela, where activity more than doubled, up 107.2% to US$39.1 billion. Worldwide, cross-border stablecoin flows rose 77.5% to US$220.3 billion.
In Mexico, Ripple’s regulatory director for Latin America, Isabel Sica, wrote in Exame on September 27 that Brazil should follow Mexico’s approach to stablecoins. She described it as a model inspired by the US GENIUS Act, with a specific regime for peso-backed tokens and room for foreign issuers through regulatory equivalence.
In Argentina, about 12% of the population uses digital assets, according to Lemon Cash data cited by the Buenos Aires Herald on September 26. El Salvador added eight bitcoin in the past seven days, taking its holdings to about 7,787 BTC, worth roughly US$658 million, TokenPost reported on September 27.
05 The names to watch
BlackRock is the name behind the flow story. IBIT took about half of last week’s US$2.4 billion in bitcoin ETF inflows, and a second strong week would show whether institutional buyers keep buying through geopolitical dips.
The Banco Central do Brasil is the regional name to watch. Its Coaf reporting rule for self-custody transfers takes effect on Thursday, and the October 30 authorisation deadline will show how many local and foreign platforms stay in the Brazilian market. In the United States, CoinDesk reported that SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, a long-time supporter of clearer crypto rules, is due to leave this week.
06 The outlook
Bitcoin enters the week between two forces. Geopolitics and high yields are weighing on prices, while ETF demand keeps absorbing supply. Without a clear break in the Iran story, trading between about US$82,500 and US$85,500 looks the most likely path.
A Hormuz deal would likely lift crypto quickly; renewed strikes would do the opposite. For Latin American users, who mostly hold stablecoins rather than Bitcoin, the practical news is Brazil’s new reporting duties. They add paperwork for large self-custody transfers but do not restrict ordinary use.
07 What to watch
- Iran and oil: Any movement on Mr Araghchi’s Hormuz offer, or signs of new strikes, will drive the next leg for crypto through oil and US yields.
- US 10-year Treasury yield: It closed Friday at 5.165%, near its highest since 2007; a rise above recent highs would pressure Bitcoin and Ether most.
- ETF flows: Last week’s US$2.4 billion bitcoin ETF inflow set a high bar; daily figures early in the week will show whether demand holds.
- Brazil’s October 1 start date: Coaf reporting for self-custody crypto transfers of US$10,000 or more begins on Thursday, three days before the first round of the election.
- Bitcoin’s US$85,000 line: Sunday’s high near US$85,160 was quickly rejected; a daily close above US$85,000 would show the macro pressure is easing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Bitcoin fall on Monday morning?
Bitcoin fell about 1.6% over 24 hours to near US$83,100 at 05:55 UTC after President Donald Trump declined to rule out further strikes on Iran before the midterm elections and rejected an Iranian offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Oil rose and Nasdaq futures fell.
Are investors still buying bitcoin ETFs?
Yes. US spot bitcoin ETFs took in US$2.4 billion in the week to September 25, their largest weekly inflow since October 2025, turning 2026 net flows positive, according to SoSoValue data reported by The Block.
What changes for crypto users in Brazil on October 1?
Under central-bank rules announced on September 23, crypto transfers of US$10,000 or more involving self-custody wallets must be reported to Coaf, Brazil’s financial-intelligence unit. The threshold triggers reporting only and does not ban or limit transactions.
How does Brazil rank in crypto adoption?
Chainalysis ranked Brazil first in its 2026 Global Crypto Adoption Index, with a US$252.5 billion crypto economy in the 12 months to June 2026, ahead of the United States, according to The Block.
Market data: Coinbase, Kraken, CoinGecko
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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