Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin says large political efforts to regulate artificial intelligence could backfire.

Vitalik Buterin has said that his previous donation to the Future of Life Institute (FLI) does not mean that he agrees with the group’s current political stance on AI.

According to him, big political campaigns about AI safety could lead to authoritarian outcomes or a global backlash if governments and corporations fight for control of the technology.

Buterin Clarifies Link to FLI

The Ethereum co-founder explained in a lengthy post on X that he got involved with FLI after Shiba Inu’s (SHIB) creators sent him half of their supply to help promote the meme coin. Shortly after, the tokens’ paper value skyrocketed, even flying past $1 billion.

Buterin said he thought the bubble would burst quickly and so rushed to swap some of the SHIB for ETH, donating the funds to a number of causes. He also gave half of the remaining SHIB to CryptoRelief, an India-focused medical relief effort, and the other half to FLI.

The institute ultimately cashed out around $500 million from the donated SHIB holding, far more than Buterin had thought possible, given the token’s thin trading volume at the time. The developer claims he got sold on FLI based on their roadmap, which covered existential risks across biosafety, nuclear, and AI, as well as what he called their “pro-peace and pro-epistemics initiatives.”

However, according to him, the organization has since pivoted, focusing instead on cultural and political action. They justified the shift, saying the situation was no longer the same as it had been in 2021, with the proliferation of artificial general intelligence demanding the change to better counter the lobbying warchests of large AI companies.

Concerns About Political Approaches

Buterin insisted that concentrating on regulatory or political campaigns to control AI development could produce fragile systems or centralized power structures.

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“My worry is that large-scale coordinated political action with big money pools is a thing that can easily lead to unintended outcomes, cause backlashes, and solve problems in a way that is both authoritarian and fragile, even if it was not originally intended that way,” he wrote.

The 32-year-old said that limiting biosynthesis tools or AI models by imposing guardrails “so that they refuse to create bad stuff” was a weak solution that could be easily worked around. He added that such strategies could also lead to governments banning open-source systems or backing one “approved” company to take over the development of AI.

“Approaches like this VERY EASILY backfire,” said Buterin. “They make the rest of the world your enemy.”

His proposal is a technological approach focused on developing defensive tools to help society stay safe in a world with powerful technology. He pointed out that his most recent funding decisions include approximately $40 million for research to build secure hardware and systems that could improve digital privacy and cybersecurity.

The Official Trump token surged on heavy trading after news spread that large holders could receive invitations to a private event at Mar-a-Lago.

At press time, The Official Trump (TRUMP) traded at $4.28, up about 52% in the past 24 hours. The token is now close to the top of its weekly range, which sits between $2.74 and $4.35.

Momentum has been building over the past several weeks. TRUMP has gained around 34% over the last seven daysand about 40% over the past month. Despite the recent rally, the token still sits roughly 94% below its January 2024 all-time high, after a long slide through 2025.

Trading activity exploded alongside the price jump. 24-hour spot volume reached about $1.4 billion, a 1,498% increase from the previous day.

Derivatives data from CoinGlass shows futures activity climbing even faster. Futures volume rose nearly 1,971% to $2.94 billion, while open interest jumped 154% to $253 million.

Such sharp increases often appear when traders rush to open new positions after a strong news catalyst.

Luncheon invitation drives attention

The latest rally follows an announcement tied to Donald Trump and an upcoming event at Mar-a-Lago.

According to details shared with the community, the top 297 holders of the TRUMP token may receive invitations to a crypto and business conference along with a gala luncheon scheduled for April 25, 2026.

Eligibility will be determined through a time-weighted points system based on token holdings between March 12 and April 10. Investors who hold larger amounts for longer periods rank higher on the leaderboard.

Extra benefits are reserved for the top 29 holders, who may attend a smaller VIP reception with Trump and other guests. Reports mention a private gathering and champagne toast, though organizers say there will be no personal meetings or gifts.

Participants must also pass security checks and maintain their token holdings through the event date.

The luncheon follows a similar promotion held in 2025, when top holders were invited to a dinner event. That earlier gathering drew criticism from some observers who argued that the model blends politics with speculative crypto marketing.

Supporters see the idea differently. For many traders, the token acts as a form of “token-gated access,” where ownership provides entry to exclusive events connected to the political figure.

Technical analysis: breakout follows news catalyst

The price chart shows a sharp reaction after the announcement.

A large bullish candle pushed the token from roughly $2.8–$3.0 to above $4.2 in a single session. That move represents a gain of more than 50% in one day, confirming strong demand following the news.

The rally also pushed price above several short-term moving averages near $3.29, levels that had acted as resistance during the previous downtrend. Once those levels broke, buying accelerated.

Volatility has started to increase as well. Bollinger Bands widened after the breakout, which often happens when price leaves a tight trading range.

Momentum indicators climbed quickly. The relative strength index moved close to 70, a level that shows strong buying pressure. When RSI approaches this zone, markets sometimes pause or pull back before deciding the next direction.

The chart also shows that a descending structure that formed over several months has been broken, marking the first strong bullish signal since the prolonged decline from earlier highs.

For now, traders are watching $4.50 and $5.00 as the next resistance zones. If the rally cools, $3.90 could act as support, followed by the $3.30 area, where several moving averages sit.

A US federal court has rejected Custodia Bank’s final attempt to challenge the Federal Reserve’s authority over granting master accounts — effectively ending the crypto-focused bank’s five-year-long battle for direct access to the central bank’s payment system.

The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit said in a filing on Friday that it wouldn’t hear Custodia’s final appeal on that point in a 7-3 vote.

Custodia first applied for a master account in October 2020, which allows financial institutions to hold reserves directly at the Federal Reserve and access its payment rails, enabling them to settle transactions without relying on intermediary banks.

After the Fed rejected its master account application, Custodia turned to the courts, arguing the Monetary Control Act entitles state-chartered banks to access Fed services and therefore a master account.

However, the multiple courts have now ruled that the Fed retains discretion over whether to grant master accounts.

Custodia’s blow comes as Kraken became the first crypto platform to receive a master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City on March 4.

Kraken’s master account enables it to connect to the Fedwire payments system, though it does not include the full range of services available to traditional banks.