Zcash (ZEC) surged 10% to $1,616 during Wednesday morning's Asian trading session, leading gains among major cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin prices held steady near $86,900, up 1% over 24 hours.

Market sentiment was boosted by two pieces of news from Washington: The U.S. House Financial Services Committee approved the "American Reserves Modernization Act" on September 17 with a vote of 28 to 21. This bill aims to incorporate approximately 325,000 government-held Bitcoins into the Treasury's strategic Bitcoin reserve, requiring them to be held for at least 20 years while also studying options for increasing holdings. Additionally, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) utilized an innovative exemption to clear the way for on-chain trading of tokenized U.S. stocks, a move that boosted tokenization-related tokens and market confidence.