# Crypto Market Hits $3 Trillion Milestone

> Treasury buybacks and SEC rulings pushed crypto market past $3 trillion, but four major coins remain down for 2026.
- Title: Crypto Market Hits $3 Trillion Milestone · 24/7 Wall St.
- Summary: Treasury buybacks and SEC rulings pushed crypto market past $3 trillion, but four major coins remain down for 2026. The crypto market surpassed $3 trillion…
- Keywords: crypto market, treasury buyback, sec ruling, forced buying, bitcoin, ethereum, solana, xrp, zcash, 2026, crypto market cap, tokenized stocks
- Source: 24/7 Wall St. — https://247wallst.com/investing/cryptocurrency/2026/09/22/the-crypto-market-surpasses-3-trillion-what-drove-this-milestone-and-what-could-keep-it-there
- Author: Sam Daodu
- Published: 2026-09-23T00:13:54+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: crypto market, treasury buyback, sec ruling, forced buying, bitcoin, ethereum, solana, xrp, zcash, 2026, crypto market cap, tokenized stocks
## Crypto Market Surpasses $3 Trillion
The total value of the cryptocurrency market has surpassed $3 trillion for the first time since January.
## Bitcoin's Current Value
Bitcoin is trading at $86,276, which is 32% lower than its all-time high of $126,000 reached in October 2025.
## Treasury Buyback Program
Investors contributed over $740 billion to the market after the U.S. Treasury announced an expanded bond buyback program in late August.
## Forced Buying Pressure
Exchanges liquidated around $920 million in short positions on September 21, creating upward pressure on prices.
## SEC Tokenized Stock Approval
The SEC granted temporary conditional approval for venues to trade tokenized U.S. stocks on public blockchains.
## Tokenized Stocks Trading
Approximately $465 million in tokenized stocks already trade on Solana.
## Bitcoin Fund Inflows
U.S. spot Bitcoin funds experienced $999 million in inflows on September 21, with BlackRock’s fund attracting $381.4 million.
## Coin Performance for 2026
Bitcoin gained 14.4% over the past week but remains down 1.2% for the year.
## Ethereum's 2026 Status
Ethereum is trading at $2,750, up 15.8% for the week and 12.7% for the month, but down 6.5% year-to-date.
## XRP's 2026 Status
XRP is at $1.57, up 19.8% for the week and 1% for the month, but down 16.5% year-to-date.
## Solana's 2026 Status
Solana posted the strongest performance, up 23.1% for the week and 24.9% for the month, but down 4.2% for 2026.
## Zcash's 2026 Performance
Zcash stands out at $1,520 with a 32.3% weekly gain, 71.6% monthly gain, and 187.5% year-to-date gain.
## Market Stability Concerns
The market has slipped back under $3 trillion once since crossing it, with four of five major coins down for 2026.
## Key takeaway

The crypto market surpassed $3 trillion due to Treasury bond buybacks, SEC tokenized stock approvals, and forced buying, but four of five top coins are still down for 2026.