# Daily Fintech News — September 22, 2026 > Daily brief on markets, macro, banking, chips and AI infrastructure. Published September 22, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET by Daily Fintech News. Canonical HTML: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22 **Entities covered:** Donald Trump, Iran, Meta Platforms, PayPal, Nvidia, Tesla, Inc., Apple Inc., United States, Micron Technology, Nebius Group, Palantir, Citigroup, Quantum computing, China, Bitcoin, Data center, Anthropic, OpenAI, SoftBank Group, Initial public offering --- ## 1. Trump Says Iran "Will Never Have a Nuclear Weapon" as He Weighs a "Big Decision" *Section: Macro* Trump said keeping Iran from a nuclear weapon remains the administration's only objective and that he faces a 'big decision' on the conflict, reiterating he expects a U.S.-Iran deal after the election as talks with Tehran continue. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-1 ## 2. Meta Expands Muse With Instacart, PayPal, Expedia and Shopify Integrations *Section: AI · Tickers: $META* Meta added Instacart, PayPal, Expedia and Shopify partnerships to its Muse AI assistant, letting it handle grocery delivery, checkout, trip booking and shopping across millions of merchants as it pushes Muse into a full AI commerce and productivity platform. - $META close: $736.68 (-0.62%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-2 ## 3. Most Active Options Today Led by Nvidia, Tesla and Apple *Section: Options* The most active options by contracts traded were NVDA (2.1M), TSLA (1.5M), AAPL (1.2M), MU (964K), META (936K), INTC (816K), AMZN (682K), GOOGL (662K), SPCX (644K) and AMD (622K). Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-3 ## 4. SoFi Becomes First U.S. National Bank Live With Stablecoin Settlement on Mastercard *Section: Fintech · Tickers: $SOFI* SoFi is moving its full debit and credit card program, over $25B in annualized volume, to blockchain settlement on Mastercard's network using SoFiUSD, a 1:1 dollar-redeemable stablecoin, with merchants needing no new infrastructure and cross-border payments eyed next. - $SOFI close: $17.17 (+1.15%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-4 ## 5. SanDisk Jumps 7% After Rosenblatt Starts at Buy With $2,400 Target *Section: Analyst Ratings · Tickers: $SNDK* SanDisk rose 7% after Rosenblatt initiated Buy with a $2,400 target, arguing AI is turning NAND from a commodity into a system-critical part of AI infrastructure and noting SanDisk's recent addition to the S&P 100. - $SNDK close: $1886.05 (+6.76%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-5 ## 6. Michael Burry Goes 'Full Size,' Adds Shorts on Micron, Nebius, SOXX and Palantir *Section: Markets* Burry said he is at full size across several positions, calling prices 'rather attractive.' He added shorts on MU, NBIS, SOXX and PLTR while increasing longs in QXO, BBW, SFM, BIRK and MELI. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-6 ## 7. AppLovin Reiterated Buy at Citi With $600 Target on Accelerating E-Commerce *Section: Analyst Ratings · Tickers: $APP* Citi kept AppLovin at Buy with a $600 target after data showed 13,105 global e-commerce clients as of Sept 18, up 5.1% week over week, the fastest growth in five months, with international merchant growth outpacing the U.S. - $APP close: $328.75 (-0.43%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-7 ## 8. Apple Unveils New Mac mini and Mac Studio With On-Device AI Focus *Section: Big Tech · Tickers: $AAPL* Apple launched an M6 Mac mini with up to 4x faster AI performance from $899 and a Mac Studio on M5 Max/Ultra with up to 512GB unified memory, Thunderbolt 5 with RDMA, and the ability to run large models on-device; Mac Studio starts at $2,499. - $AAPL close: $339.73 (+0.22%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-8 ## 9. IonQ Demonstrates First Real-Time Quantum Error-Correction Decoder on a Standard CPU *Section: Quantum Computing · Tickers: $IONQ* IonQ said it ran the industry's first end-to-end real-time quantum error-correction decoder on an off-the-shelf CPU, tested on circuits simulating up to 408 logical qubits and 31.5M operations with as little as 0.02% overhead, supporting its Walking Cat roadmap. - $IONQ close: $40.74 (+0.58%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-9 ## 10. China's 2026 Gold Imports Hit Record 1,141 Tonnes in First Eight Months *Section: Commodities* China imported a record 1,141 tonnes of gold in the first eight months of 2026, already more than all of 2025 and on pace to top 1,700 tonnes for the year, as Chinese gold ETFs added 44 tonnes amid strong investment demand and a stronger yuan. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-10 ## 11. Spot Bitcoin ETFs Pull In $999M, Largest Daily Inflow Since October 2025 *Section: Crypto · Tickers: $IBIT* Spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $999M Monday, their biggest daily intake since October 2025, led by IBIT's $381M. September inflows now total $1.3B after $3.5B in August, underscoring continued institutional Bitcoin demand. - $IBIT close: $48.83 (-0.38%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-11 ## 12. Trump Disclosed 1,156 Securities Transactions in July Totaling Up to $270M *Section: Markets* A filing disclosed 1,156 securities transactions made on Trump's behalf in July worth roughly $79M-$270M, including $5M-$25M sales of MSFT and AMZN and purchases across NVDA, INTU, MRVL, CRM and CHD; the White House said third parties manage the portfolio. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-12 ## 13. Alibaba Unveils New AI Chip and Data Center Expansion Plan *Section: AI Chips · Tickers: $BABA* Alibaba rolled out its most powerful AI chip yet and outlined a roadmap for a larger model and expanded data centers, doubling down on controlling both the hardware and software behind its AI ambitions in a direct challenge to Nvidia. - $BABA close: $116.27 (+0.45%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-13 ## 14. Software Firms Discount AI to Keep Customers From Anthropic, OpenAI *Section: AI* Amazon, Microsoft, Figma and Workday are dangling new discounts on AI products to clients and consulting partners worn out by shifting pricing, as customers grow choosier after ramping budgets for tools like Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-14 ## 15. SoftBank's $50bn Data Centre Group Slows Its IPO *Section: Data Centers · Tickers: $SFTBY* Masayoshi Son-backed SoftBank is slowing the planned IPO of its roughly $50bn data centre group amid market fears over an AI slowdown and lackluster interest in a new debt sale. - $SFTBY close: $22.10 (+2.08%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-15 ## 16. AI Startup Heidi Doubles Valuation to $900 Million in New Round *Section: AI* AI startup Heidi roughly doubled its valuation to $900 million in a new funding round, underscoring continued investor appetite for fast-growing artificial-intelligence companies. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-16 ## 17. Accelevation and Backer Seek to Raise Up to $720 Million in IPO *Section: Markets* Data-center infrastructure company Accelevation and a backer are seeking to raise up to $720 million in an initial public offering, testing investor demand tied to the AI build-out. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-17 ## 18. Entertainment-Booking Startup Ande Raises $52 Million From Lightspeed, Redpoint *Section: AI* Ande came out of stealth with $52 million from Lightspeed and Redpoint for AI agents that help businesses arrange corporate events, dining and sporting outings, handling everything from booking venues to processing expenses. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-18 ## 19. Microsoft Cuts Xbox Jobs, Moves Game Studios Under Activision *Section: Big Tech · Tickers: $MSFT* Microsoft is cutting jobs in its Xbox division and reorganizing several first-party game studios under its Activision Blizzard unit, the latest restructuring in the company's gaming business. - $MSFT close: $497.94 (-0.73%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-19 ## 20. Binance Invests $100 Million in Circle, Extends USDC Agreement *Section: Crypto · Tickers: $CRCL* Binance is investing $100 million in stablecoin issuer Circle and extending its USDC distribution agreement, deepening ties between the largest crypto exchange and the company behind the second-biggest stablecoin. - $CRCL close: $94.56 (+0.07%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-20 ## 21. Meta Leads Tech Rally as Oil Prices Fall *Section: Markets · Tickers: $META* Technology stocks climbed with Meta out front as Brent crude sank on speculation of a potential US-Iran meeting, with falling energy prices helping lift equities and push the Nasdaq toward record territory. - $META close: $736.68 (-0.62%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-21 ## 22. Anthropic and OpenAI Release Cheaper Models as Price War Intensifies *Section: AI* Anthropic unveiled a more cost-efficient Opus 5.5 model and OpenAI rolled out a cheaper GPT-6 family priced at roughly half its predecessors, escalating a price war among leading AI labs as they fight for enterprise share ahead of Anthropic's planned IPO. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-22 ## 23. Nvidia's Stock Is Flashing a Warning Sign as Valuation Drops *Section: Markets · Tickers: $NVDA* Nvidia shares are showing a technical warning signal as the chipmaker's valuation compresses, raising questions about whether the AI-driven rally in the market's most influential stock can keep running. - $NVDA close: $228.83 (+0.64%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-23 ## 24. Netflix Gets Second Downgrade in a Week on Engagement Concerns *Section: Markets · Tickers: $NFLX* Netflix received its second analyst downgrade in a week, with concerns mounting over slowing user engagement, pressuring the streaming giant's shares. - $NFLX close: $72.16 (-1.64%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-24 ## 25. Meta's Muse Drags Down Stocks That Depend on 'Consumer Inertia' *Section: Markets · Tickers: $META* Meta's fast-growing Muse shopping app is weighing on shares of companies that rely on consumer inertia, as investors reprice retail and e-commerce names threatened by Meta's push into AI-driven commerce. - $META close: $736.68 (-0.62%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-25 ## 26. Wall Street's GPU Futures Push Stalls at the CFTC *Section: AI Chips · Tickers: $CME* CME Group's plan to launch futures on Nvidia GPU rental prices — seen as key to making AI compute an investable asset class — is delayed, as the CFTC extends its review of how the contracts would work, pushing the hoped-for early-October launch out. - $CME close: $267.21 (-3.02%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-26 ## 27. Legora in Talks to Raise Funds at a Roughly $8.5 Billion Value *Section: AI* AI legal-tech startup Legora is in talks to raise a new funding round valuing it at roughly $8.5 billion, underscoring continued investor demand for AI applications targeting professional-services workflows. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-27 ## 28. Anthropic in Talks to Lease Up to 1GW From Apollo-Owned Stream Data Centers *Section: Data Centers* Anthropic is in early talks to lease up to 1 gigawatt of compute from Stream Data Centers, majority-owned by Apollo Global Management, filling the sites with Broadcom- and Google-designed TPUs as it works to cut reliance on cloud providers. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-28 ## 29. Nasdaq 100 Rises to New High as 'AI FOMO' Returns *Section: Markets* The Nasdaq 100 climbed to a fresh record as fear-of-missing-out buying in AI and megacap tech names powered equities higher, extending the tech-led rally into the close. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-29 ## 30. CoreWeave Completes $4.2 Billion Convertible Offering *Section: Data Centers · Tickers: $CRWV* AI cloud provider CoreWeave closed a $4.2 billion convertible bond offering, with the notes carrying a higher coupon than a similar issuance in April as it funds its data-center buildout. - $CRWV close: $86.75 (+1.55%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-30 ## 31. SoftBank Launches One of Biggest Junk Bond Deals to Fund OpenAI Bet *Section: AI Infrastructure · Tickers: $SFTBY* SoftBank is seeking to raise more than $11 billion in dollar and euro junk bonds at record yields, one of the largest such deals, to help finance its escalating investment in OpenAI and the broader AI boom. - $SFTBY close: $22.10 (+2.08%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-31 ## 32. Alibaba to Add Data Centers in Europe, Middle East in AI Push *Section: AI Infrastructure · Tickers: $BABA* Alibaba plans to expand its cloud data-center footprint into Europe and the Middle East as part of an aggressive AI infrastructure push, deepening its bid to compete globally in AI compute. - $BABA close: $116.27 (+0.45%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-32 ## 33. Nvidia-Backed Nscale Buried ByteDance Deal in Push to $35bn IPO *Section: IPO* AI cloud provider Nscale, backed by Nvidia, played down that ByteDance was its largest customer last year as it pitches a roughly $35 billion IPO to stock-market investors. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-33 ## 34. China Reviews Dependence on Broadcom Switches in Data Centres *Section: AI Chips · Tickers: $AVGO* China is surveying its reliance on Broadcom networking switches in data centres amid a drive to boost domestic players and cut dependence on foreign AI infrastructure, a potential risk to Broadcom's China revenue. - $AVGO close: $364.51 (+0.51%) Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-34 ## 35. Data-Center Bet Makes ESDS One of India's Best New Listings *Section: IPO* Indian data-center operator ESDS has become one of the country's best-performing new listings, as investor enthusiasm for AI-driven data-center demand lifts the stock sharply after its IPO. Permalink: https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-22#item-35 --- ## Questions this brief answers **What did Donald Trump announce on September 22, 2026?** Trump said keeping Iran from a nuclear weapon remains the administration's only objective and that he faces a 'big decision' on the conflict, reiterating he expects a U.S.-Iran deal after the election as talks with Tehran continue. **What did Meta Platforms announce on September 22, 2026?** Meta added Instacart, PayPal, Expedia and Shopify partnerships to its Muse AI assistant, letting it handle grocery delivery, checkout, trip booking and shopping across millions of merchants as it pushes Muse into a full AI commerce and productivity platform. **Which stocks had the most active options on September 22, 2026?** The most active options by contracts traded were NVDA (2.1M), TSLA (1.5M), AAPL (1.2M), MU (964K), META (936K), INTC (816K), AMZN (682K), GOOGL (662K), SPCX (644K) and AMD (622K). **How much is SoFi Becomes First U.S. paying to settle?** SoFi is moving its full debit and credit card program, over $25B in annualized volume, to blockchain settlement on Mastercard's network using SoFiUSD, a 1:1 dollar-redeemable stablecoin, with merchants needing no new infrastructure and cross-border payments eyed next. **What price target and rating were set on SanDisk?** SanDisk rose 7% after Rosenblatt initiated Buy with a $2,400 target, arguing AI is turning NAND from a commodity into a system-critical part of AI infrastructure and noting SanDisk's recent addition to the S&P 100. **Why did Micron Technology shares rise?** Burry said he is at full size across several positions, calling prices 'rather attractive.' He added shorts on MU, NBIS, SOXX and PLTR while increasing longs in QXO, BBW, SFM, BIRK and MELI. --- ## More from Daily Fintech News - Previous brief: [September 21, 2026 — Nasdaq Closes at Record as Chip and AI Stocks Rally](https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-21) - Next brief: [September 23, 2026 — 10-Year Treasury Yield Tops 5.1% as Hot PMI Data Fuels Inflation Fears](https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-23) - Also covers Anthropic, Apple Inc., Bitcoin: [September 8, 2026 — Palantir names Nebius its preferred sovereign AI infrastructure partner](https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-08) - Also covers Anthropic, Apple Inc., China: [September 16, 2026 — Fed Raises Rates 25 bps in Unanimous Decision, First Hike Since 2023](https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-16) - Also covers China, CoreWeave, Data center: [September 17, 2026 — Trump Weighs Resuming Large-Scale Military Operations Against Iran](https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech/2026-09-17) - [All briefs](https://dailyfintechnews.com/brief/fintech) *Source: Daily Fintech News (https://dailyfintechnews.com). Attribution with a link to the brief URL is appreciated when quoted.*