Bitcoin Tops $78,000 as US Regulatory Shift Fuels Historic Rally
Bitcoin closed out its best week since 2024 above $78,000 as a weaker dollar and Washington's friendliest regulatory signals in years — including a new SEC crypto framework — sent institutional money flooding back into digital assets.
Bitcoin Tops $78,000 as US Regulatory Shift Fuels Historic Rally
Bitcoin capped a blistering week of gains on Friday, settling at $78,335 — up 7.26% on the day and its strongest five-day performance since 2024. The rally wasn't a solo run: Ethereum climbed 8.12% to $2,515, while XRP jumped 14.61% to $1.4538, confirming broad-based strength rather than a single-token squeeze. By Saturday morning, total crypto market capitalization had swelled to $2.73 trillion, a 6% gain in 24 hours, with Bitcoin holding firm above $78,000.
Two forces converged to drive the move: a softening US dollar, which mechanically lifts dollar-denominated assets, and a noticeably friendlier tone out of Washington on digital-asset policy.
Institutional Money Leads the Charge
The clearest sign this wasn't a retail-driven spike came from ETF flows. Spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in their largest single-day inflow since May, with BlackRock's fund alone accounting for 83% of the $606 million that entered US Bitcoin ETFs on Thursday. That kind of concentrated institutional buying typically signals conviction rather than short-term speculation, and it helped anchor the rally even as trading volume across the sector topped $170 billion for the day.
Washington Sends Its Friendliest Signal Yet
The policy backdrop shifted meaningfully this week. President Trump publicly urged Congress and industry executives to push through a workable version of the CLARITY Act, the long-stalled market-structure bill the crypto industry has treated as its holy grail. The CFTC added pressure of its own, warning it would move to write its own rules if lawmakers can't get the bill across the finish line.
Separately, the SEC unveiled "Regulation Crypto," its first substantive rulemaking package for digital assets. Unveiled by Chairman Paul Atkins, the proposal creates two new capital-raising tracks for crypto projects: a one-time "startup" exemption for offerings up to $5 million over four years, and a broader exemption allowing up to $75 million per year, subject to disclosure requirements. Atkins framed it as a step toward letting "crypto asset innovation flourish in the United States," while the CFTC's parallel posture suggests regulators are racing to fill the gap Congress has yet to close legislatively.
