Bitcoin Price Surges Over $81,000 Despite Clarity Act Fail and Interest Rate Hike

Bitcoin Magazine Bitcoin Price Surges Over $81,000 Despite Clarity Act Fail and Interest Rate Hike Bitcoin’s price on Friday shot above $81,000 — despite a week of setbacks for the crypto industry.  The biggest coin was recently trading for $80,982, after jumping as high as $81,055 at one point Friday morning in New York.

Over the past 24 hours, it has risen by nearly 6%.  Its surge comes after lawmakers on Tuesday blocked long-awaited crypto legislation, the Clarity Act, and the Federal Reserve on Wednesday hiked interest rates.  JUST IN: Bitcoin surges to $81,000 pic.twitter.com/EQi5apUlxU— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) September 18, 2026 Digital asset industry bigwigs had long called for clear rules to regulate the crypto space and the Clarity Act — which wants to divide oversight between regulators — aimed to do that.

But lawmakers blocked the landmark digital asset market structure bill in a procedural vote.  And the Federal Reserve increased borrowing costs for the first time due to skyrocketing inflation in the U.S.

The central bank’s chair, Kevin Warsh, said that price stability in the U.S. was the Fed’s number one priority.  “The plain fact is that inflation is too high, and has been for too long,” Warsh said.