The US Federal Reserve maintained a base interest rate in the range of 3.5-3.75%, which triggered a sell-off in the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin responded by falling 2.3% per day, to $64,000, and major altcoins, including Ethereum, BNB, XRP, and Solana, were down 2-3%. Anonymous cryptocurrencies suffered particularly badly: Zcash fell by 8.8% to $465, and Monero declined by 5.5% to $329. The fall in private coins was compounded by the recent discovery of critical vulnerabilities in their networks (P2Pool and Orchard pools), which undermined investor confidence.

The Fed’s decision was made against the backdrop of reports of a geopolitical détente. Central Bank’s new chairman, Kevin Warsh, has hinted at possible rate hikes to combat inflation. Maintaining high rates strengthens the dollar and raises yields on Treasury bonds, which reduces the attractiveness of high-risk assets. President Donald Trump had earlier urged the Fed to make it easier for crypto and fintech companies to access US payments infrastructure, complaining about excessive bureaucracy in the current system.