Why does central bank independence matter so much? According to Martins Kazaks, governor of Latvia's central bank, autonomy in monetary policy is absolutely essential for sound decision-making. He's raised an important alarm about what could happen if the Fed loses its independence—eroding that autonomy could spell trouble for the entire financial system. When central banks are pressured to deviate from their core mandate, policy becomes reactionary rather than strategic. That's when markets start feeling the real pain. The stakes are high: maintaining institutional independence allows policymakers to focus on long-term stability instead of short-term political wins. For anyone watching macro trends and crypto correlations, this is worth paying attention to.