TL;DR

Bitcoin’s recovery continued in September, while new announcements brought stablecoin payments and blockchain-based stock trading closer to familiar financial services.

Robinhood unveiled AI agents that can place trades. A major Bitget hack highlighted a more immediate concern: being able to access and move your money.

Bitcoin continued its recovery

Bitcoin traded below $80,000 early in September and was back around $84,000 near the end of the month, extending its recovery after August’s rally.

Buying through investment funds also continued. US spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted approximately $2.65 billion in net inflows during September, based on the sum of Farside Investors’ daily figures.

The month included several days of withdrawals, but the positive total showed that investors put more money into these Bitcoin funds than they took out.

Stablecoins moved closer to everyday checkout

Paying with digital dollars could become easier as more businesses gain tools to accept them.

On September 28, Citi and Coinbase expanded their collaboration. Through Spring by Citi, merchants will be able to accept stablecoins, tokens designed to track currencies such as the US dollar, while receiving ordinary currency. The services launch first in the US.

Two days later, Stripe added the new OUSD stablecoin across products for payments, business balances and payouts.

These services could give customers more places to use stablecoins while letting businesses accept them through familiar payment tools. Adoption by merchants will determine how widely that option appears.

US stocks took another step toward blockchain trading

Tokenized stocks represent shares on a blockchain. On September 17, the SEC introduced an Innovation Exemption allowing limited trading of certain tokenized US stocks on eligible platforms.

The conditional exemptions last five years, giving companies room to develop new trading services.

The potential appeal is access to familiar investments through blockchain tools. Actual availability will depend on which platforms launch and who is eligible to use them.

Robinhood announced AI agents that can place trades

On September 29, Robinhood announced AI agents built into its app. Users will be able to research markets, build strategies and let an agent place trades within instructions and limits they set. The new experience is coming soon to eligible US customers.

Agents use a dedicated account, with approval of each trade enabled by default. Users can choose whether to allow automated execution.

That choice makes AI permissions part of managing money: the account limits determine what an agent can access, and approval settings determine when it can act. Users remain responsible for the trades it makes.

The Bitget hack put access to funds in focus

On September 24, attackers stole more than $350 million from Bitget. The exchange temporarily paused withdrawals and said it would cover the losses. TRM Labs’ initial analysis estimated approximately $351.6 million in outflows.

According to Bitget, attackers manipulated the systems used to approve transfers; private keys were not stolen.

The withdrawal pause highlighted a practical consequence of exchange custody. A platform can promise to cover losses while customers still have to wait to move their money. Having a balance and being able to use it are separate things.