Builders keep the lights on; blocks don’t care about Mondays.

Prices (USD, inline):
BTC $115,429.00 🟢↑ | ETH $4,522.02 🔴↓ | SOL $234.80 🔴↓ | BNB $921.83 🔴↓ | XRP $2.99 🔴↓ | ADA $0.8631 🔴↓ | AVAX $30.11 🟢↑ | DOGE $0.2680 🔴↓ | DOT $4.17 🔴↓

Quick Index ⚡️

🧭 Fed week jitters: crypto chops as whales sell into strength.
🇫🇷 France threatens to challenge EU “passporting” for some crypto licenses under MiCA.
🐶 First meme-coin ETF? Dogecoin fund said to be lining up a launch this week.
🤝 PayPal adds crypto to P2P payments across PayPal & Venmo.
🏛️ SEC, Gemini/Winklevoss reach settlement in Gemini Earn case.
🧠 Ethereum Foundation forms new AI team for agentic payments and trust standards.

Markets

BTC range-bound into the Fed; distribution returns. Bitcoin attempted another break above $116K before slipping back toward the mid-$115Ks as desks brace for Wednesday’s (Sep 17) rate decision. According to CoinDesk’s daybook and on-chain cohort data, all major BTC wallet groups flipped back to net selling, signaling distribution into strength while Asia shows relative bid and Europe lags. For traders, that translates to choppy tape with quick mean-reversions.

Macro mood: cautious, not broken. Barron’s notes broad crypto underperformance versus last week as investors de-risk ahead of the Fed, with ETH and SOL leading declines intraday. A 25 bps cut is base case; a surprise 50 bps could add fuel to crypto beta. Expect liquidity pockets around ETF bellwethers and large-cap alt pairs.

ETF watch: Dogecoin edges toward Wall Street. The Rex Shares–Osprey DOGE ETF (ticker DOJE) is “more likely than not” to debut mid-week, per ETF analysts cited by CoinDesk. It’s futures-based exposure via a Cayman sub—not spot DOGE—but the milestone would test appetite for meme-coin products and could widen the crypto ETF aperture if volumes show up.

Regulation

France rattles MiCA’s single market. France’s AMF warned it could challenge “passporting” of some crypto licenses granted by other EU states, pushing for ESMA-level oversight as application of MiCA shows uneven standards. If Paris follows through, large exchanges and custodians may face tighter scrutiny on cross-border operations and higher compliance costs in the bloc. (Reporting by Reuters.)

SEC, Winklevoss twins settle Gemini Earn suit. In a letter to a Manhattan court, lawyers for the SEC and Gemini said they reached a settlement in principle to fully resolve the 2023 case over the Earn program, pending commission sign-off. Policy takeaway: another legacy enforcement chapter closes just as U.S. regulators signal a broader reset on crypto rulemaking. (Reuters.)

Adoption

PayPal turns on crypto P2P. PayPal said U.S. users will soon be able to send BTC, ETH and PYUSD directly within PayPal, Venmo and compatible wallets, integrating crypto into everyday peer-to-peer flows. According to CoinDesk and supporting trade press, personal transfers won’t trigger 1099-K reporting, keeping gifts/splits clean—but on-ramping remains subject to normal KYC. UX-wise, “PayPal links” make sharing a payment request as simple as pasting a URL.

American Express mints “travel stamps” on Base. AmEx launched blockchain-based, non-transferable stamps inside its new travel app—ERC-721 collectibles minted on Coinbase’s Base network to commemorate trips, not speculate. It’s a low-stakes Web3 touchpoint with a huge brand: if engagement sticks, expect more loyalty mechanics to move on-chain in the card world. (Coverage via CoinDesk and Blockworks.)

Tech & Innovation

Ethereum Foundation spins up an AI team. EF researchers unveiled a dedicated “dAI Team” focused on making Ethereum the settlement/coordination layer for autonomous agents, with work around payments, trust and standards like ERC-8004. For builders, this points to native rails for machine-to-machine commerce—and a fresh venue for verifiable AI identity and receipts. (CoinDesk.)

Base weighs a native token. At the BaseCamp event, creator Jesse Pollak said Coinbase’s Layer-2 is exploring a network token (early days, compliance-first). Even hinting at a token can catalyze developer/user activity around potential eligibility, but Pollak stressed any design would live on Ethereum and coordinate with U.S. regulators. (CoinDesk.)

—

One read a day, zero missed beats. Keep The Blockchain In Daily pinned—because in crypto, the future ships between coffee and lunch.