Arthur Hayes Dumps HYPE, NEAR Ahead of ‘Mega’ AI IPOs

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes said he dumped his Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Near Protocol (NEAR) token holdings, reversing course after previously assigning aggressive upside targets. He cited higher energy prices due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, three forthcoming “mega AI IPOs” by the third quarter of 2026 and predictions that US President Donald Trump would turn “anti-AI” to help Republicans win the US midterm elections.

“I think highs in mrkts will happen btw now and September,” wrote Hayes on X, adding that it was “time to take profit.” The sales mark a drastic pivot: Hayes had predicted HYPE could reach $150 by August and NEAR may see a 20x rally by 2027. Blockchain data platform Onchain Lens confirmed he sold 247,334 HYPE for about $18 million and an unknown amount of NEAR, and the sales came shortly after Hayes publicly challenged Multicoin Capital co-founder Kyle Samani to a $100,000 charity bet claiming HYPE will outperform every top-10 cryptocurrency by the end of 2026.

United States

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