Bitcoin held above the $84,000 mark on Sunday, keeping the asset on course for its strongest third quarter since 2017, as the market weighed a week of heavy inflows into U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs, renewed calls for U.S. banks to expand their role in Bitcoin, and the continuing fallout from a major exchange hack.

The token traded at $84,626.50 as of 0139 ET, up 0.84% on the day.

Quarter Nears Its Close With Second-Best Q3 on Record

Bitcoin has gained roughly 43.5% since the third quarter began in July, when it started near $58,500. That places it near the end of its second-best third quarter on record and on track for its best Q3 since 2017, when the asset rose about 80% over the same period. With the quarter set to close on September 30, the final sessions will fix where the three-month tally lands.

Ether has performed even better this quarter, climbing approximately 71% and putting itself on track for its best third quarter ever.

Bitcoin also made it through Friday's large quarterly options expiry without major disruption. Spot trading activity increased over the week, and traders held back from heavy profit-taking.

ETF Inflows Turn Positive for the Year

U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs added $2.4 billion in the week ending September 25, their biggest weekly inflow since October 2025 and a total that topped the previous 2026 weekly record of $1.92 billion set in August, according to figures highlighted by Coin Bureau. Because the funds buy spot bitcoin directly on behalf of investors, their weekly totals are widely used as a read on institutional demand.

Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) on X, September 26, 2026:

🚨BULLISH: U.S. Bitcoin ETFs just recorded their BIGGEST weekly inflow of 2026

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs bought $2.39 BILLION worth of Bitcoin this week, smashing the previous 2026 weekly record of $1.92 billion set in August.

Institutional demand for Bitcoin just hit a fresh… pic.twitter.com/TV9L7QoaKI

The strong week pushed 2026 net flows for bitcoin ETFs back into positive territory. The funds had been about $5.8 billion in the red as recently as mid-July, a swing that shows how quickly the year's totals can reverse.

Monday for most of the week's inflows. The 12 tracked bitcoin ETFs took in $999 million that day alone, the largest single-day inflow since October 2025. Daily totals then shrank each day after that: Tuesday brought $714.7 million, followed by $347 million on Wednesday, $190.6 million on Thursday, and $134.5 million on Friday.

BlackRock's IBIT, the largest U.S. spot bitcoin ETF by assets, led the week with $1.2 billion in inflows. Fidelity's FBTC added $701.7 million, its largest weekly total since early September.

Ether ETFs also reversed course last week. The funds drew $689.9 million in new money, after losing $140 million the week before. Solana funds set their own record, logging an $86.7 million daily inflow on Friday, the largest single-day total for that product.

Saylor Urges U.S. Banks to Expand Their Bitcoin Role

Michael Saylor, chairman of Strategy — the software firm whose bitcoin treasury made it one of the asset's largest corporate holders — called on U.S. banks to expand their role in Bitcoin, urging them to offer Bitcoin custody and loans backed by the asset.

Saylor argued that current capital rules limit bank participation. He specifically pointed to the 1,250% risk weighting applied to the riskiest crypto holdings under international banking standards, a level that forces banks to set aside capital roughly equal to the full value of such positions and effectively makes direct ownership prohibitively expensive. He also said regulators should treat custody, lending, and direct bank ownership of Bitcoin as separate categories with different rules.

Analyst Flags “Not a Decisive Breakout” on the Weekly Chart

Weekly closes carry weight among chart analysts because they smooth out intraday noise and are commonly used to confirm moves on longer timeframes. Analyst Aksel Kibar raised a technical concern about Bitcoin's price action as the trading week wound down. “As we get close to end of week, the weekly candle does not look like a decisive breakout,” Kibar wrote. He added that a real breakout usually produces a long weekly candle, and that hesitant price action here could see price return inside its prior range.

Aksel Kibar, CMT (@TechCharts) on X, September 27, 2026:

Important note on $BTC : as we get close to end of week, the weekly candle does not look like a decisive breakout. Price taking out an important hurdle usually forms a long white or black weekly candle. See earlier breakouts/breakdowns. Hesitant price action here can result in… pic.twitter.com/oCjCnd1zhF

Bitget Hack Aftermath

Security issues also stayed in focus following the $387.5 million hack of exchange Bitget. The attacker moved about $83 million in stolen XRP from three wallets by Saturday, according to CoinDesk, leaving around $75 million still in the original accounts.

Ripple cannot freeze the stolen XRP directly, since the XRP Ledger's freeze controls do not apply to its native token. Bitget said its protection fund covers the losses and customer balances are unaffected.

Bitcoin withdrawals on Bitget are set to resume September 28, with ether withdrawals following on September 29 and USDT withdrawals on September 30, a staggered schedule that gives users a concrete timeline for when the exchange's normal operations are due back.

This article is based on Bitcoin (BTC) Price: On Track for Best Third Quarter Since 2017, first published by CoinCentral on September 27, 2026.