Bitcoin Tops $80K for the First Time Since January

Bitcoin surged past the $80,000 threshold for the first time since late January, buoyed by a wave of positive risk sentiment across Asian equities.

The leading cryptocurrency climbed 2.7% within a three-hour span on Monday as trading commenced in Asian markets. According to TradingView data, Bitcoin’s ascent began at approximately 1:25 am UTC, jumping from $78,415 to breach the $80,000 level roughly 75 minutes later. By 4:20 am UTC, it had touched $80,515.

The move coincided with a 2.3% rise in the MSCI AC Asia Index, which hit a new all-time high of 245.2. Analysts note that a strong start to the week for the index typically indicates that global investors are reacting favorably to weekend events.

Altcoins join the rally
Ether (ETH), XRP, and BNB (BNB) followed Bitcoin’s lead, posting 24-hour gains of 3.9%, 2.4%, and 3.3% respectively at the time of writing.

Drivers behind the move
Several factors appear to be supporting renewed crypto momentum:

• Regulatory progress: In Washington, banking and crypto industry members reached a compromise on stablecoin yield provisions within the CLARITY Act. A Senate markup is anticipated this month.
• Institutional demand: U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows on 11 of the past 14 trading days. Friday’s inflow of $629.8 million stood as the strongest day for the ETF sector in two weeks.

A path to $100,000?
Bitcoin has now recovered nearly 30% from its 2026 low of roughly $62,000, reached on February 5. Analysts are beginning to eye the six-figure mark.

Meanwhile, speculation is building around a "big announcement" on the U.S. Bitcoin Reserve, which White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt hinted at during last week’s Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas. Witt suggested news could arrive within the next few weeks.