Arthur Hayes Predicts Bitcoin to Reach $250,000 by 2026

Arthur Hayes, the former CEO of BitMEX, recently shared his insights on the cryptocurrency market during an interview on the Bankless YouTube channel. Hayes, who now manages the family office Maelstrom, revealed that the cryptocurrency portfolio of his family office is predominantly invested in Bitcoin and Ethereum, with approximately 60% allocated to Bitcoin and 20% to Ethereum. The remaining portion of the portfolio is diversified across various altcoins, token investments, and other digital assets. The non-cryptocurrency portion of the portfolio includes physical gold, gold mining stocks, and government bonds.

Hayes expressed his bullish outlook on Bitcoin, predicting that the cryptocurrency could surge to the $150,000-$200,000 range by the end of the summer. He anticipates a significant retracement following this surge, with Bitcoin potentially reaching $250,000 by the end of 2026. Regarding Ethereum, Hayes believes that if the cryptocurrency can reach $5,000 by the end of the year, it would meet market expectations and boost confidence. He further suggested that the final bull market cycle for Ethereum could see the cryptocurrency reaching $10,000-$20,000, although he acknowledged that achieving $5,000 would be challenging.

Hayes also discussed the potential for an altcoin season, stating that while it is inevitable, the parabolic rise is unlikely for overvalued projects with a huge fully diluted valuation but low circulating supply, or for junk tokens with no real users. He emphasized that new narratives will always emerge in the market, creating new speculative targets on decentralized exchanges (DEXs).