Bitcoin ETFs see largest outflow since June after Senate rejects Clarity Act

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs suffered their largest single-day outflow since June on September 15, 2026, shedding $450.4 million after the Senate rejected the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in a 49-50 vote. The failed cloture motion, which fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance, effectively ends prospects for comprehensive crypto market structure legislation in 2026. The regulatory setback triggered a broad market selloff, dragging Bitcoin's price below $76,000 and liquidating over $570 million in leveraged futures positions.

Bitcoin ETF outflows

• ▪Ethereum ETFs recorded net outflows of approximately $142.3 million on September 15, 2026, with BlackRock's ETHA accounting for $97.97 million of the withdrawals.
• ▪Solana ETFs bucked the broader market trend on September 15, 2026, by attracting $1.35 million in net inflows, all of which went into Bitwise's BSOL.
• ▪Fidelity's FBTC led the Bitcoin ETF outflows on September 15, 2026, with $214.8 million withdrawn, followed by BlackRock's IBIT with $161.7 million in outflows.
• ▪U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced $450.4 million in net outflows on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, marking the largest single-day withdrawal since late June 2026.

Senate Clarity Act rejection

• ▪Senate Banking Committee ranking Democrat Elizabeth Warren opposed the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act on the Senate floor, warning it would trigger a "crypto-fueled economic crash."
• ▪Senator Cynthia Lummis, the lead negotiator for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, criticized Senate Democrats following the failed vote on September 15, 2026, accusing them of playing games and not being serious about protecting consumers.
• ▪The U.S. Senate voted 49 to 50 against invoking cloture on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act on September 15, 2026, failing to reach the 60-vote threshold required to advance the bill.
• ▪Four Republican senators—Susan Collins, Josh Hawley, Jerry Moran, and Thom Tillis—voted against the cloture motion for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act on September 15, 2026.

Cryptocurrency price declines

• ▪Other major cryptocurrencies experienced sharper 24-hour declines following the Senate vote, with Stellar falling 9.6% and XRP dropping over 8% on September 15, 2026.
• ▪Following the failed Senate vote on September 15, 2026, Bitcoin's price fell below $76,000, trading around $75,700, representing a 24-hour decline of approximately 2.5% to 3.8%.

Futures liquidations

• ▪The taker long-short volume ratio for cryptocurrency futures flipped bearish following the Senate vote on September 15, 2026, with short positions accounting for 51.5% of the flow over 24 hours.
• ▪Leveraged cryptocurrency futures positions worth more than $570 million were liquidated within a 24-hour window following the failed Senate vote on the Clarity Act on September 15, 2026.

Market structure legislation failure

• ▪The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act aimed to establish a regulatory framework for digital assets by splitting oversight between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
• ▪The failure of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act to advance in the Senate effectively ends the prospects of comprehensive crypto market structure legislation passing in 2026.
• ▪Blockchain company Ripple stated that the defeat of the Clarity Act on September 15, 2026, does not affect the settled regulatory standing of Ripple and XRP in the United States.

Debatable claims

• ▪The U.S. Senate should have advanced the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act
• ▪Bitcoin already has sufficient regulatory clarity in the United States