ФРС снижает ставку, ЕС вводит санкции: ключевые события недели в криптовалютном мире Headline: The Fed Cuts Rates, the EU Imposes Sanctions: Key Events of the Week in the Cryptocurrency World

The Federal Reserve lowered its key interest rate, the European Union is set to impose sanctions on Russian cryptocurrency platforms for the first time, Monero experienced its largest block reorganization in 12 years, and other notable events occurred over the past week.

The leading cryptocurrency started the week below $116,000 and ended it at the same level.

Anticipation surrounding the Federal Reserve’s meeting briefly pushed prices close to $118,000, but this momentum proved to be short-lived. The asset failed to maintain its peak, and some analysts suggested this might mark the top of the current cycle. They forecast that during a potential correction, the price could drop to $90,000.

Most of the largest altcoins by market capitalization exhibited poorer performance. Dogecoin’s price declined by 5.8% over the week, Ethereum dropped by 3%, and Solana fell by 2.7%.

An exception to this trend was the BNB token, which set a new all-time high above $1,000. The asset’s price increased by more than 13% over the week, driven by reports of Binance negotiating with the U.S. Department of Justice to prematurely end oversight of the company’s activities by an independent monitor. However, analysts at CryptoQuant indicated that the rally is based on structural fundamentals rather than being merely a temporary spike.

The cryptocurrency market’s capitalization remained virtually unchanged over the week at $4.13 trillion, as did Bitcoin’s dominance at 55.7%.

According to CoinMarketCap, the altcoin season index surpassed the 75-point threshold, though it has yet to approach the annual high of 87.

The cryptocurrency fear and greed index remains in a moderate zone at 49 points.

On September 17, the Federal Reserve lowered its key interest rate by 0.25% for the first time since December 2024, bringing it to a range of 4-4.25%. The outcome of the meeting aligned with investors’ expectations.

«The latest data indicates a slowdown in economic activity during the first half of the year. Employment growth has slowed, and the unemployment rate has slightly increased while remaining low. Inflation has risen and continues to be elevated,» the regulator stated.

It is traditionally believed that a decrease in rates positively influences the dynamics of risk assets like Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) did not reach a consensus regarding further monetary policy easing.

«Ten of the 19 Committee members anticipate two or more rate cuts by the end of the year, while nine predict either a lesser number of cuts or none at all,» he said.

The European Commission announced preparations for its 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which will target cryptocurrency platforms and transactions with digital assets.

«We are targeting the financial loopholes that Russia uses to circumvent sanctions. For the first time, our restrictive measures will apply to cryptocurrency platforms,» emphasized regulator head Ursula von der Leyen.

According to the statement, all cryptocurrency transactions for Russian residents will be blocked.

Restrictions will also impact foreign banks linked to Russian alternative payment systems and transactions with companies registered in special economic zones.

The Monero network rolled back 18 blocks, rendering 117 transactions invalid.

The reorganization began on September 14 at block #3,499,659 when the mining pool Quibic released a hidden chain that turned out to be longer than the main one. The network’s nodes automatically accepted it as valid, canceling the previous blocks.

A researcher under the nickname Rucknium confirmed the incident on GitHub. A crypto podcaster using the pseudonym Xenu described the event as «the largest reorganization in Monero’s history.»

Kirill Khomyakov, head of regional markets at Binance for the CIS, Central and Eastern Europe, and Africa, discussed proposed amendments to the Ukrainian cryptocurrency regulatory bill.

At the beginning of the month, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada approved the document «On Virtual Asset Markets» in its first reading, which will define the status and taxation of cryptocurrencies in the country.

During his address at the Binance Odesa Meetup, Khomyakov noted that the amendments aimed at «simplifying life for users» were submitted by Binance, other exchanges, and the Ministry of Digital Transformation. He expects the bill to undergo significant changes by the time of the second reading.

The exchange’s proposals primarily concern the taxation regime and the protection of customer data privacy, the manager clarified.

He also revealed some of Binance’s plans for operations in Ukraine, including simplifying interactions with banks and issuing a hryvnia card.

In Europe, Binance hopes to obtain a MiCA license by the end of the year.

Key ideas of the Virginia school—a post-war U.S. movement of neoclassical economic theory advocating minimal government intervention in markets—were examined.

Provisions of the roadmap for the new initiative, Privacy Stewards for Ethereum (PSE), part of the Ethereum Foundation, were also analyzed. The initiative focuses on implementing privacy at all levels of the network, including applications.

In a traditional digest, major events in the cybersecurity sector over the week were summarized.