Will the End of the Shutdown Really Boost the Crypto Market?

The restart of the US government reopens the way for crypto regulation and ETFs. A decisive turning point or just a stay of execution for the market?

Shutdown Avoided: The Regulatory Machine Restarts

On November 12, 2025, the US Congress pressed pause just in time. The Senate passed a funding bill by 60 votes to 40. Goal: to avoid another federal government shutdown and extend the budget until January 31, 2026. In the background, more than 40 days of partial shutdown to digest and a federal state operating at a slow pace.

For the crypto market, this is not just a technical detail. The end of the US shutdown changes the game. The SEC, which is toughening its stance on digital assets while the ecosystem deteriorates, can now operate at full speed again. The CFTC as well.

They hold the key to Bitcoin ETFs, regulated derivatives products, and the long-awaited clarification of the status of many tokens. Without them, the market stagnates; with them, the crypto market “shutdown” gradually unlocks.

Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, sums up the stake well. According to her, the resumption of activities restores stability and momentum within regulators. In other words, the faucet of decisions can finally reopen. Pending files, like the XRP ETF request filed by Canary, no longer remain stuck in an administrative drawer. They can move forward, be arbitrated, or even serve as a model for other products.

On the surface, this budget vote looks like another political compromise. In reality, it lays the foundation for a new phase: return of active regulation, prospect of additional ETFs, better clarity of the rules of the game. It is not an instant pump on bitcoin, but it is a change of scenery for the coming months.

Why the Crypto Market Is Not Heating Up (Yet)

One might imagine that with a shutdown avoided and a Congress operational again, bitcoin would shoot off like a rocket. Logic would dictate that the reopening of the regulatory apparatus should be enough to restart flows. Yet, the numbers play spoilsport. Bitcoin ETFs record only about $1.2 million in net inflows, a drop in the bucket for a sector supposed to attract massive institutional capital. This caution contrasts sharply with the more confident analyses of certain observers.

In other words, while the market seems calm on the surface, regulatory momentum is restarting deep down. This observation, far from a mere talking point, reflects the idea that a regulatory machine running again is no small matter for a market still highly dependent on institutional arbitrations.

However, on the ground, momentum is slow to materialize. The price of bitcoin declines another 3.4%, holding around $101,300, while traditional stocks and gold advance. This discrepancy shows one thing: the end of the shutdown is not (yet) a sufficient catalyst to attract nervous capital. Institutional investors watch, evaluate, but do not clearly position themselves. There’s still a missing spark.

Several opposing forces combine. A still strong dollar, high bond yields, inflation refusing to flatten. Not to mention the psychological scar left by scandals, bankruptcies, and excesses of previous cycles. Certainly, the regulatory framework is reactivating, but trust requires a longer tempo to fully return.

A Foundation for the Next Wave, Not a Bull Run Signal

Should we therefore underestimate what has just happened in Washington? Not really. The funding vote doesn’t guarantee an immediate market rise, but it removes one major risk: that of a paralyzed state unable to process structuring files for the crypto ecosystem.

For Gracy Chen, this institutional resumption should catalyze the launch of new products, densify liquidity, and strengthen confidence by sending a clear signal: the US regulatory framework is stabilizing. It is not a firework, it is a foundation. And it is often on this kind of basis that the next bullish cycles are built.

In short, the end of the US shutdown puts regulation back on track, reopens the door to ETFs, and reassures institutional players who need predictable rules. But for the “crypto market shutdown” to turn into a real takeoff, more than a budget law will be needed. It will require a clearer monetary easing, favorable macro signals, and a return of demand on Bitcoin ETFs beyond a few million dollars.

So, will the end of the shutdown “boost” the crypto market? Not like an Elon Musk tweet. But it removes a brake, strengthens the ecosystem’s credibility, and prepares the ground. And in a market as cyclical as BTC, it is often these silent adjustments that write the next big price move.