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Crypto In America
Crypto In America

Why the Fed Killed Its CBDC, Hired Crypto Engineers, and Put AI in Every Employee’s Performance Goals | Sunayna Tuteja

29 July 2026 28:14 Crypto In America

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About this episode

Sunayna Tuteja, the Fed’s first Chief Innovation Officer, spent five years trying to transform one of the world’s most powerful financial institutions from the inside.

She recruited engineers from crypto and fintech, championed AI adoption among everyone from analysts to governors, and worked alongside Governor Christopher Waller on initiatives ranging from ending the central bank’s CBDC work to developing the framework for “skinny master accounts.”

Recorded live at the Injective Summit, Sunayna tells Eleanor what happened when a longtime Fed critic joined the very institution she had spent years criticizing, and why the headwinds during Operation Choke Point 2.0 drove her to try to quit more than once.

She also explains why she believes AI and regulated stablecoins are reaching an inflection point at exactly the same time, setting the stage for a major transformation of both the financial system and the Fed itself.

TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 Sunayna’s Path to the Federal Reserve

07:58 Navigating Operation Choke Point 2.0

10:50 Why the Fed Embraced AI Faster Than Crypto

13:08 Behind the Fed’s “Skinny Master Accounts”

16:35 Will the Fed Pivot to Stablecoins?

21:57 How AI Could Transform the Fed and Finance

Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Y3bQRjEQtdlNx1fxmS8hB 

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crypto-in-america/id1799000155 

Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

This show is sponsored by Sei. Learn more about Sei: https://www.sei.io/

This show is sponsored by Sumsub. Get your copy of its State of the Crypto Industry report: https://sumsub.link/cdt 

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Jacquelyn: https://x.com/jacqmelinek

Gerald: https://x.com/thatgerald

Eleanor: https://x.com/EleanorTerrett

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