TLDR
- LINK climbed 3.5% on Thursday, trading near $11.78 after opening around $11.38
- The $10.85–$10.90 support zone has held firm through multiple tests
- The SEC announced a five-year conditional exemption for blockchain-based trading of tokenized U.S. stocks
- Bottomline launched Global Pay Connect, connecting 600+ banks via Chainlink’s CCIP protocol
- The U.S. Senate failed to advance the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act this week
Chainlink’s LINK token gained more than 3.5% on Thursday, climbing from around $11.38 to trade near $11.78. The move came alongside fresh institutional news and a new regulatory step toward tokenized securities in the U.S.
LINK bounced from the $10.85–$10.90 support zone, a level that has now held through multiple tests. That area previously acted as resistance before August’s breakout, and it has not seen a decisive breakdown since.
The daily relative strength index recovered to around 55.6, up from the mid-40s earlier in the week. That puts LINK back in neutral-to-positive territory without entering overbought conditions.
SEC Opens Door to Tokenized U.S. Stocks
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced a five-year conditional exemption this week. It allows qualifying platforms to facilitate blockchain-based trading of tokenized U.S. stocks, provided the tokens carry the same shareholder rights as traditional shares.
Just In: SEC Approves Innovation Exemption for Tokenized U.S. Stocks to Trade via Onchain AMMs
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it has officially approved a temporary, conditional exemptive framework (the "Innovation Exemption") to allow limited… pic.twitter.com/rdavbJ46OY
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) September 17, 2026
That move matters for Chainlink directly. The network has built its infrastructure around tokenized real-world assets, offering price data feeds, proof-of-reserve tools, and cross-chain interoperability for traditional financial institutions.
Payments technology firm Bottomline recently launched Global Pay Connect, a platform connecting more than 600 banks to blockchain payment rails using Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol, or CCIP. The system bridges existing networks like Swift and SEPA with blockchain infrastructure.
BitGo also chose Chainlink as the exclusive cross-chain provider for its multibillion-dollar Wrapped Bitcoin ecosystem, adding to a growing list of CCIP adoption announcements.
Senate Fails to Advance CLARITY Act
The U.S. Senate failed to advance the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act this week. The bill, designed to create a federal market-structure framework for crypto, did not reach the 60 votes needed to move forward.
LATEST: 🇺🇸 Seven Democratic senators who voted against advancing the CLARITY Act called Tuesday’s failed vote “a setback, but not the end,” saying they remain committed to passing it. pic.twitter.com/N64vXa30RB
— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) September 17, 2026
That setback weighed on Bitcoin and other digital assets earlier in the week. The SEC’s tokenization exemption now stands as a narrower but concrete regulatory step while broader legislation stalls in Congress.
Fed Rate Hike Adds Macro Pressure
The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%–4.00% this week, its first increase in three years. Policymakers signaled at least one more hike could follow before year-end.
Higher rates typically pressure crypto markets by making lower-risk assets more attractive. LINK’s Thursday rebound came despite that backdrop.
On the chart, $10.87 remains the key support level. If LINK holds above $11.50, the next levels to watch are $12.00 and then the September highs near $13.00–$13.50. A break below $10.87 would shift focus to trend-line support near $10.00.
LINK is currently holding its August breakout, with $11.78 as the most recent price on the session.
