Here’s what happened in crypto today

Today in crypto, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon backed the Senate’s CLARITY Act ahead of an expected vote, BitMEX announced it will shut down after 11 years in the crypto derivatives market and hackers stole more than $31.6 million in two crosschain bridge exploits just hours apart.

Goldman Sachs CEO backs CLARITY Act ahead of expected Senate vote

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon has publicly endorsed the CLARITY Act, adding rare support from a major Wall Street bank as the US Senate prepares to consider the crypto market structure bill.

Speaking to Politico, Solomon said the legislation is “not perfect” but argued it would create a more level regulatory environment and help digital asset markets mature. His backing contrasts with the stance of other banking executives, including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who has criticized provisions that allow crypto firms to offer yields on stablecoins outside the rules governing traditional banks.

The bill, unveiled by Senate Republicans on Wednesday, is expected to face a closely watched vote that will likely require bipartisan support to pass. Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, continue to oppose the measure, arguing its ethics provisions are too weak and fail to adequately address conflicts tied to President Donald Trump’s crypto interests. Senate leadership has not yet announced when the chamber will vote.

BitMEX to shut down after 11 years in crypto derivatives

BitMEX, one of the pioneers of cryptocurrency derivatives trading, announced it will shut down operations after owner and operator HDR Global Trading Limited decided to close the company following a strategic review.

BitMEX announced Thursday that it will stop exchange services on Sept. 23, 2026, at 04:00 UTC and urged users to close positions and withdraw funds before the deadline.

“We want to reassure you that your assets remain fully safe and under your control during this transition period,” BitMEX said in a statement to users.

BitMEX did not disclose further details about the factors behind HDR Global Trading Limited’s decision to close the exchange following its strategic review. The exchange declined to comment further and HDR Global Trading did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment.

BitMEX leaves a market it helped define as decentralized derivatives platforms capture a growing share of trading activity from centralized exchanges (CEXs). According to CoinGecko’s Q2 2026 Crypto Industry Report, CEX perpetual futures volume fell 10% to $12.7 trillion during the quarter, while decentralized platforms continued gaining ground. Hyperliquid has emerged as one of the leading decentralized perpetual exchanges, ranking second by open interest behind Binance.

Hackers steal $31.6 million across 2 crypto bridge attacks

Hackers stole more than $31.6 million across two unrelated crypto bridge exploits spaced just hours apart, targeting bridges operated by decentralized perpetual exchange AFX and Verus Protocol. 

According to Blockaid, AFX, a decentralized perpetual exchange operating on Arbitrum, reportedly lost $24.15 million on Wednesday through a hack targeting one of its cross-chain bridges. Hours later, Blockaid said it detected an exploit targeting the Verus Ethereum Bridge that resulted in about $7.5 million in crypto being stolen. 

The back-to-back exploits highlight the continued security risks facing crosschain bridges, which hold large pools of assets and move funds between separate blockchains. 

“Another bridge, another exploit. Bridges will always be a weak link, until security is upgraded,”  onchain investigator TheCrypticWolf said in a post on X.