A16z Raises $15 Billion for AI and Crypto as Powell Clashes With Trump Over Fed Independence

Andreessen Horowitz closed a $15 billion fund dedicated to what the venture capital firm calls American Dynamism, positioning artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency infrastructure at the center of its next deployment cycle. The raise arrives during a week defined by institutional acceleration in digital assets and an unprecedented public confrontation between the Federal Reserve and the White House.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell released a video statement asserting that criminal charges brought against him are retaliation for refusing to lower interest rates according to President Donald Trump’s preferences. The dispute escalates a long-running tension over central bank independence, a principle established through decades of legislative and operational separation between monetary policy and executive pressure. Powell’s decision to address the allegations via direct video marks a sharp departure from the carefully scripted communications traditionally favored by sitting Fed chairs.

The macroeconomic friction has left major cryptocurrencies largely unmoved heading into the Monday open. Bitcoin traded flat near $90,600. Ethereum gained 1% to $3,110, while Solana rose 2% to $140. XRP slipped 2% to $2.04.

Privacy-focused assets defied the broader stagnation. Monero (XMR) surged 15% to hit a new all-time high of $590, and IP jumped 20%. Monero’s rally underscores persistent demand for untraceable transactions despite years of delistings from major centralized exchanges seeking regulatory compliance. The token’s ring signature technology continues to attract users prioritizing financial privacy over institutional accessibility.

Institutional plumbing advanced on multiple fronts. BNY Mellon launched tokenized deposits targeting both traditional institutional clients and digital-native firms. As the oldest banking company in the United States, BNY Mellon’s entry signals that programmable money is migrating from experimental blockchain projects into core custody and settlement operations. Unlike stablecoins issued by non-bank entities, tokenized deposits remain backed by chartered banks and subject to existing federal oversight frameworks.

Ripple secured approval from the UK Financial Conduct Authority to scale crypto payments across Britain. The FCA registration allows Ripple to operate within one of the world’s most heavily regulated financial markets, expanding its cross-border settlement network beyond jurisdictions with lighter compliance requirements.

Tether froze $182 million in USDT linked to Venezuelan oil trades. The move demonstrates the reach of centralized stablecoin issuers in enforcing international sanctions. Because Tether controls the smart contract logic governing USDT, it can blacklist specific wallet addresses globally, effectively functioning as a private enforcement arm for U.S. Treasury directives even when operating outside traditional banking channels.

On the infrastructure side, X announced plans to roll out “smart cashtags,” embedding live cryptocurrency and stock prices directly next to ticker symbols on the platform. The feature attempts to transform the social network into a real-time financial terminal, merging retail trading data with social sentiment.

Regulatory scrutiny expanded into derivatives-adjacent spaces. A newly introduced House bill would prohibit members of Congress and federal officials from participating in prediction markets. Lawmakers have faced increasing criticism over potential conflicts of interest as platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi blur the lines between information aggregation and speculative wagering on political and economic outcomes.

Looking further ahead, asset manager VanEck published projections suggesting bitcoin could reach $53 million by 2050. The forecast relies on assumptions of 29% annual growth driven by long-term adoption curves, integration into global trade settlement, and solidification as a sovereign store of value. Such models typically measure total addressable market capture against gold and fiat reserves rather than short-term price action.

Bitcoin remained steady at $90,600 in early Monday trading as markets digested the weekend developments.