Bitcoin and Ethereum are both up around 2% today, but the biggest moves are happening elsewhere. NEAR has climbed about 25%, Zcash is up around 7%, and Uniswap’s UNI has gained about 25%. Those gains have put the wider crypto market in the green, though the tokens do not all share the same catalyst.
The main development is a new US Securities and Exchange Commission decision on tokenized stocks. It has a particularly clear connection to Uniswap. NEAR also has a separate milestone behind its move. Here is what appears to be driving each token, starting with Bitcoin.
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Bitcoin Price Rises After the SEC Takes Action on Tokenized Stocks
Bitcoin is up around 2% after a difficult week for US crypto policy. Congress was unable to advance the CLARITY Act, leaving the proposed national framework for digital assets unresolved. The SEC then introduced an Innovation Exemption that allows certain venues to facilitate onchain trading of tokenized US stocks under specific conditions.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins just released crypto BULLS!!
— Altcoin Daily (@AltcoinDaily) September 17, 2026
0:00 – Crypto will explode in USA?
6:09 – $SOL $ETH “Get Ready”
7:37 – Is Clarity Act dead?
8:16 – Why Dems voted no
9:36 – What comes next?
11:18 – 2030 $BTC prediction
WATCH: pic.twitter.com/mEDQ78eUYR
SEC Chair Paul Atkins explained the decision in a video shared by Altcoin Daily. He said the order provides temporary relief to certain trading venues and liquidity providers. The measure is limited in scope, lasts 5 years, and gives the SEC time to consider more permanent rules.
The conditions are important because this is not unrestricted stock trading on crypto platforms:
- Eligible venues must control who can trade the tokenized stocks.
- The tokens must give holders the same rights as the underlying shares, including voting and dividend rights.
- Companies whose shares are involved must have the opportunity to object.
- Synthetic tokens that only track a stock’s price are excluded.
Bitcoin does not gain a direct new function from these rules. Its price rise comes alongside a broader market recovery after the SEC showed that some regulatory progress could continue despite the setback for the CLARITY Act. The timing makes the decision relevant, although it does not prove that the announcement alone caused Bitcoin’s entire move.
Altcoin Daily also noted that Bitcoin had held near $75,000 despite the Senate vote and a Federal Reserve rate increase. That context helps explain why the SEC announcement matters today: the market had already faced 2 developments that could have weighed on crypto prices.
Ethereum Price Gains as Tokenized Stock Trading Moves Closer to Reality
Ethereum is up around 2% as well. The SEC order does not name Ethereum as a required network, and it does not promise that tokenized stocks will trade on Ethereum. Still, ETH is part of the wider market for onchain financial activity, which makes the decision relevant to the discussion around its future use.
Tokenized stocks represent shares through blockchain based records. If eligible venues begin trading them, those venues will need ways to manage transfers, trading and settlement. The SEC’s conditions also mean they must verify participants and preserve the rights attached to the original shares.
There is a gap between permission and adoption. The exemption creates a route for qualified firms to test these activities, but the amount of business that might reach Ethereum remains unknown. For now, Ethereum’s roughly 2% gain looks closer to Bitcoin’s broad market move than UNI’s more direct response to the announcement.
NEAR Price Climbs After Confidential Intents Crosses $70 Million
NEAR has risen about 25% in the figures provided, making it one of the day’s strongest performers. Its most immediate reported catalyst is separate from the SEC decision. BSCN reported that Confidential Intents’ total value locked passed $70 million and triggered a milestone distribution.
BSCN placed NEAR near $3.00 when the token was up about 18%. The roughly 25% figure appears to describe a later point in the move, so the percentages should not be treated as readings taken at the same moment.
One SEC decision is carrying most of today's leaderboard$UNI leads near $7.60 after a 19% gain, with ethereum:0xfaba6f8e4a5e8ab82f62fe7c39859fa577269be3 up 12% at $0.38. Both rose after the SEC issued its Innovation Exemption, which gives temporary relief for onchain trading of… pic.twitter.com/rUj3deZGsQ
— BSCN (@BSCNews) September 17, 2026
NEAR Intents is designed to make transactions across blockchains simpler for users. Someone can specify the result they want, such as exchanging an asset held on 1 network for an asset on another. Solvers then work out how to complete that request. The user does not need to manually choose every bridge or source of liquidity.
That design is central to NearKat’s analysis of NEAR. The analyst argues that a system capable of moving assets across networks could become useful if tokenized stocks and other assets spread across several blockchains. NearKat also points to NEAR’s work on AI tools and Chain Signatures, which let applications interact with assets on other networks.
The analyst’s longer range case includes NEAR’s reduced maximum annual token issuance and the use of Intents revenue for token buybacks. Those details may matter if network use continues to grow. Today’s clearer reference point, however, is the reported $70 million Confidential Intents milestone. The next question is whether activity remains strong after the associated distribution.
$NEAR is having a serious move right now, and for once the market is starting to pay attention.
— NearKat (@NearKatToken) September 17, 2026
But I still think a lot of people looking at NEAR are looking at the wrong thing.
The old narrative is “another L1 from the last cycle”. The more interesting reality is that NEAR has…
Zcash Price Gains Around 7% Amid the Wider Crypto Rise
Zcash is up around 7% today, a larger gain than those recorded by Bitcoin and Ethereum. The material provided does not identify a fresh Zcash announcement that explains the move, so it would be difficult to tie its rise to 1 confirmed event.
That distinction matters. UNI has a clear connection to the SEC decision, and NEAR has a reported product milestone. ZEC has climbed during the same period, but the available details do not establish that tokenized stock rules caused its gain.
Zcash’s move still belongs in the account of why the crypto market is up today. It shows that the rise extends beyond Bitcoin, Ethereum and tokens with specific news. A closer look at ZEC’s own market activity would be needed to explain why it outperformed the 2 largest cryptocurrencies.
Uniswap Price Jumps as Its Permissioned Pools Gain a Possible Use Case
Uniswap’s UNI is up about 25%, and the SEC exemption offers the clearest reason for its move. An earlier BSCN update placed UNI near $7.60 after a 19% gain. Those figures come from different points in the session, which explains why the reported daily increases differ.
The connection lies in Uniswap v4’s permissioned pools. A permissioned pool can limit who participates, a feature that could be useful when a trading venue must restrict access to approved users. BSCN reported that Uniswap founder Hayden Adams said the new relief also covers permissioned pools in v4. Karan Singh Arora made the case more directly. He noted that Uniswap v4 already has pools built for assets that require access controls, with compliance rules enforced onchain. The SEC decision therefore creates a potential use case for Uniswap’s trading infrastructure in tokenized US stocks.
The word potential matters here. The SEC has not required venues to use Uniswap, and UNI’s price increase does not establish that regulated stock trading has started through its pools. It shows that the regulatory decision has made an existing Uniswap feature more relevant. Actual use by eligible venues would provide stronger evidence of a lasting benefit.
Read Also: This Analyst’s XRP Price Prediction Is Almost Unbelievable
BSCN also reported that ONDO rose about 12% to $0.38 after the SEC announcement. ONDO’s gain adds to the picture of tokenization related assets moving after the decision, though each project would need to turn the regulatory opening into real activity.
What Could Determine Whether the Crypto Market Holds Its Gains?
The crypto market is up for a mix of reasons. The SEC has created a temporary route for certain tokenized stocks to trade onchain. Bitcoin and Ethereum have risen alongside the wider market, UNI has a possible use case for its permissioned pools, and NEAR has reached a reported Confidential Intents milestone. Zcash is also higher, though its specific catalyst is less clear from the information available.
Posts from Commentary Baron Trump about Japan’s crypto plans and Ash Crypto about a Federal Reserve liquidity injection have also circulated. The supplied posts do not establish that either development caused today’s prices, so they should be treated separately from the clearer SEC and NEAR developments.
The next test is whether today’s news leads to sustained activity. Eligible firms would need to use the SEC exemption, Uniswap would need to attract relevant trading, and NEAR would need to keep Intents activity growing. Those results could tell us far more about this market rise than 1 strong trading day.
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