Americans Distrust Crypto and AI as Industry Funds Midterms

A national April survey found most Americans express distrust of both cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence even as industry groups prepare to spend tens of millions of dollars in the 2026 midterm elections.

The online survey of 2,035 U.S. adults, conducted April 11–14 and weighted by age, race, gender, geography and educational attainment, reported a margin of sampling error of ±2.2 percentage points. Forty-five percent of respondents said investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk, and 44% said AI is developing too fast. Nearly half said they trust a traditional bank more than a crypto platform. About two-thirds supported strict regulations or broad oversight principles for AI.

The survey included hypothetical candidate matchups that showed respondents were less likely to back candidates supported by groups pushing looser AI rules than those aligned with advocates for tighter limits. The report warned, “Skepticism of the industries, those results suggest, could turn into voter backlash if Americans grow fed up with the heavy spending.” Political committees tied to the crypto and AI sectors are expected to increase spending ahead of the 2026 contests.

On the asset-management side, the Ethereum Foundation completed an over-the-counter sale of 10,000 ether to BitMine Immersion Technologies at an average price of $2,292 per coin, a transaction worth roughly $22.9 million. The foundation noted the proceeds will fund core operations, including protocol research and development, ecosystem programs and community grants.

The sale follows a 10,000 ETH transfer completed about a week earlier at roughly $2,387 per coin and a 5,000 ETH sale in March at about $2,043 per coin. The two recent 10,000-ETH transactions amount to roughly $47 million over the week. The foundation also unstaked 17,035 ETH, reported as worth about $40 million, and appears to have revised its previously stated staking target of 70,000 ETH.

MoonPay introduced a virtual card that allows users and automated AI agents to spend stablecoins held in self-custodied wallets at merchants that accept Mastercard. The card links on-chain wallets to traditional payment rails and converts stablecoin to fiat at checkout. Transactions are authorized by smart contracts at the point of sale, eliminating the need to preload a separate balance or move funds off-chain; declined payments return funds immediately.

The MoonPay product follows other industry efforts to enable programmatic payments for AI agents and to bridge crypto assets with conventional card networks. Some payment networks and crypto firms have released or are developing tools to support automated or programmatic card payments tied to on-chain assets.

Industry groups and companies characterize the sales and product launches as routine funding and technical development. The survey data and the timing of sales and new payment products intersect with ongoing congressional debates over regulation of crypto platforms and AI development, and with political spending by industry-aligned organizations ahead of the 2026 elections.