Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies began October on firmer footing after a choppy weekend, with Bitcoin reaching $86,500 on Sunday before trading around $86,100 in the market snapshot reported by Decrypt. Ethereum was near $2,720, while several altcoins and revenue-generating protocols posted stronger weekly gains.
Bitcoin and ether extend monthly gains
Bitcoin rose 2.07% on Sunday to $86,500 and was up 8.57% over the previous month, according to Decrypt’s daily market briefing. Ethereum stood at $2,720 and had gained 11.05% over 30 days. Most of the 10 largest cryptocurrencies were also in positive territory.
The move has revived the market’s familiar “Uptober” label, a nickname used for periods when crypto prices rise during October. The gains were not limited to Bitcoin. Among notable altcoin performers, Pump.fun climbed 26.2% and LayerZero advanced 19.8% over the week. Sky and Aave also recorded double-digit weekly gains.
Decrypt’s analysis noted that these projects are protocols that generate revenue, rather than simply meme-token markets. It also pointed to recent comments from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that buying back a project’s own token does not make that token a security when the underlying network is functioning. That backdrop has focused attention on protocols with revenue and token-buyback mechanisms.
ETF flows improve after September outflows
U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded $31.7 million of inflows on one day and $102.7 million on Thursday, for a combined $134.4 million at the start of October. The two-day positive run followed net outflows of $148.7 million in September.
The broader ETF picture was mixed in the latest figures cited by Decrypt. Bitcoin ETFs recorded $32 million in net inflows on Friday, while Ethereum ETFs experienced $17 million in outflows. Solana ETFs attracted $1.3 million.
Despite the Bitcoin ETF inflows, the report described the period as the quietest week for ETF flows in a month. That led its analysis to suggest that crypto-native funds, rather than large institutional flows, may have been a more important source of the latest price movement. This is an interpretation of the market action, not a guarantee about how prices will develop.
Protocol revenue and token developments
Pump.fun led the listed onchain protocols in weekly revenue with $17.86 million. Hyperliquid followed with $14.64 million, while Stonk generated $4.46 million.
Hyperliquid has also started using fees paid in USDC to buy back its HYPE token through AQAV2. The exchange received its first payment of $14.58 million from USDC held on the platform. Based on the current size of the payment, Decrypt said the 30-day amount would equate to roughly $193 million annually if maintained.
Elsewhere, Polymarket chief executive Shayne Coplan hinted at a possible token announcement during Token 2049, although no announcement was confirmed in the supplied report. Blast, an Ethereum layer-2 network, is preparing to shut down on Friday after deciding that operating costs exceed earnings. The network previously held more than $2 billion in total value locked, reaching a peak of $2.3 billion, and users are being told to move funds to Ethereum before October 26.
The market briefing also highlighted several infrastructure and regulatory developments:
- The Ethereum Foundation launched zkAPI, which allows users to pay for artificial-intelligence services with ETH or USDC while proving they have funds without revealing which deposit belongs to them.
- OKX and the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange said they plan to create a tokenized-stock venue initially covering 63 NYSE-listed companies. Their joint venture, OKXICE, filed with the SEC under the agency’s new framework.
- Community banks sued the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency over national trust charters for crypto firms. The Independent Community Bankers of America described the charters as a route around FDIC insurance and capital requirements and asked that Protego’s charter be rejected.
Current market picture
Moneyiar market data at the stated times shows a mixed picture beyond the larger assets covered in Decrypt’s report. Altlayer (ALT) was priced at $0.0073737513, down 7.91% over 24 hours and 5.55% over seven days, at 10:39 a.m. on October 7, 2026. Ontology (ONT) was $0.0579733708, down 4.82% in 24 hours and 0.26% over seven days, at 10:38 a.m. on the same day.
The supplied Moneyiar data also showed Starpower (STAR) at $0.1691322256, up 26.33% over 24 hours and 55.76% over seven days. That reading was timestamped 2:23 a.m. on August 26, 2026, rather than October 7, so it is not directly comparable with the two newer observations.
According to Decrypt, the combination of rising major cryptocurrencies, selective altcoin strength, protocol revenue and renewed Bitcoin ETF inflows marked a positive opening to October. However, the same data showed uneven performance across funds, networks and individual tokens.
