#BTC Climbs Above $81,000 Amid ETF Inflows as CLARITY Act Advances.

Bitcoin rose to around $81,500 on May 15, 2026, buoyed by strong spot ETF inflows and positive investor sentiment.

The Senate Banking Committee cleared the CLARITY Act the prior day in a 15-9 bipartisan vote, marking meaningful progress on U.S. crypto market structure rules. However, the legislation still requires full Senate and House approval plus the President’s signature before becoming law.

As a result, any immediate market impact from the committee step remains limited, with analysts emphasizing longer-term gains in institutional confidence and inflows over short-term price moves. $ETH and major altcoins posted modest gains alongside $BTC