By cryptoadmin Happy Thursday, advisors!
In today’s newsletter, Joshua de Vos and Jacob Joseph of CoinDesk Research break down how digital assets turned around in Q3, outperforming stocks and gold.
Then, in “Ask an Expert,” Kevin Tam explains crypto perpetuals.
Have three minutes? Mesh is conducting a 2026 State of Digital Money Survey to understand how financial institutions, digital-asset businesses and infrastructure providers experience regulatory fragmentation across markets. Responses are anonymous and results will be shared in this newsletter. (edited)
Happy reading.
– Sarah Morton
Digital assets ended a three-quarter losing streak in Q3
Digital assets rebounded sharply in the third quarter of 2026, ending three consecutive quarters of losses and delivering their strongest performance of the year. As presented in CoinDesk’s latest Quarterly Review and Outlook, the recovery was shaped by easing geopolitical pressure, a more constructive liquidity backdrop and the return of institutional flows.
Q3 in review
The CoinDesk 20 (CD20) rose 52.7% to 2,447, while bitcoin gained 42.7% to $83,554. After a second quarter in which crypto sat out the broader risk-asset rally, the roles reversed. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose just 2.03% and 0.85%, and gold added 3.84%; digital assets were the clear outperformer by a wide margin.
$BTC vs Gold vs SPX vs Nasdaq vs the CoinDesk 20 Index, Q3 2026
Several forces lined up to drive this recovery. Middle East tensions remained elevated but eased from second quarter levels, while the U.S. Treasury’s expansion of longer-dated bond buybacks in August revived the “debasement trade” narrative, which some described as a form of “mini quantitative easing.” Regulatory clarity and the rapid growth of tokenized equities were additive to market sentiment, reinforcing the convergence between traditional finance and digital-asset infrastructure.
ETF flows: the reversal
Bitcoin $BTC$82,270.57 spot ETFs best represented this renewed positivity in the industry during the third quarter. After $4.67 billion of net outflows in the second quarter, inflows returned with strength: $3.54 billion in August, the highest monthly total since July 2025, followed by $2.65 billion in September. Third quarter net flows reached $6.36 billion, an $11 billion swing from the prior quarter. In the second quarter the question was whether institutions were leaving; the third quarter suggests they were simply waiting on the sidelines for macro catalysts to emerge.
Monthly ETF net flows: $BTC, ETH, SOL, 2024 — present
Constituent highlights
The CoinDesk 100 (CD100) rose 53.3% to 1,890 and the CoinDesk Memecoin Index (CDMEME) rose 45.9% to 324, while the CoinDesk 5 (CD5) gained 46.7% to 1,406, trailing the CD20 by six points.
– Kevin Tam, digital asset research specialist
Keep Reading
- The U.S.Treasury Department has scrapped a proposal that would have forced banks and crypto businesses to collect and report more information when customers sent large amounts of crypto to wallets they controlled themselves.
- The Cardano Foundation has launched a token standard that lets issuers of stablecoins, funds and bonds decide who can receive their assets, and freeze or seize holdings when the rules require it.
- Robinhood announced a $25 million bitcoin treasury purchase, the company’s first.
Looking for more? Receive the latest crypto news from coindesk.com and market updates from coindesk.com/institutions.
Crypto for Advisors Related Assets Bitcoin$82,270.571.44% Near$4.912.63% Chainlink$12.824.62% 
Latest Crypto News
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Latest Research
The Definitive Stablecoin Landscape Series: Asia Pacific
The Definitive Stablecoin Landscape Series: Asia Pacific
As stablecoins move into regulated finance, APAC is becoming a key proving ground. This report maps the region’s rules, use cases, and $RLUSD’s role.
By CoinDesk Research Sep 15, 2026 Commissioned byRipple
As stablecoins move into regulated finance, APAC is becoming a key proving ground. This report maps the region’s rules, use cases, and $RLUSD’s role.
Why it matters:
As stablecoins move into regulated finance, APAC is becoming a key proving ground. This report maps the region’s rules, use cases, and $RLUSD’s role.
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