Arthur Hayes
Arthur Hayes is the Chief Investment Officer of Maelstrom, an early-stage investment fund focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain innovation. A pioneering figure in the digital asset industry, Hayes is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of BitMEX, which he built into the world’s largest Bitcoin and cryptocurrency derivatives exchange. Under his leadership, BitMEX revolutionized crypto markets by inventing the perpetual swap, a financial instrument that has since become the most widely traded product in crypto history, with cumulative trading volume reaching into the tens of trillions of dollars. Beyond his contributions to the growth of digital finance, Hayes brings deep expertise in traditional markets, having traded equity index futures, forwards, and swaps, as well as non-deliverable FX forwards. He began his career as a market maker at Deutsche Bank and Citibank, where he developed the foundation for his expertise in global financial markets.
Arthur Hayes Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Chief Investment Officer
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Co-Founder and CEO
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Delta One Trader
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Synthetic Equity Trader
Academic History
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B.S., Economics and Finance
CRYPTO CAREER
Arthur Hayes is a globally recognized leader in cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, blockchain, decentralized finance, digital assets, and Web3 analysis.
One of the earliest prominent Bitcoin traders, Hayes is also noted as the youngest African American to reach billionaire status in the cryptocurrency industry.
Known for his outspoken views and reputation as a staunch Bitcoin bull, he has sparked controversy in the crypto community, most notably when he publicly dismissed Ether as a “shitcoin,” a statement that drew significant backlash from Ethereum supporters.
As co-founder and former CEO of BitMEX, Hayes transformed the platform into one of the world’s most dominant cryptocurrency derivatives exchanges.
Under his leadership, BitMEX consistently posted massive trading activity, with average daily volumes surpassing $2 billion in 2021, and its flagship product, XBTUSD perpetual swaps, became the most liquid Bitcoin/USD trading instrument in the market, averaging more than $3 billion in daily volume and offering 100x leverage.
However, his career took a dramatic turn in October 2020 when Hayes and his co-founders were charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with violations of the Bank Secrecy Act for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering safeguards.
The case brought Hayes into the global media spotlight and ultimately led him to step down as CEO, with Alexander Höptner succeeding him.
Hayes now serves as Chief Investment Officer of Maelstrom, a founder-led, early-stage investment fund managed through his family office.
The fund is focused on building a long-term portfolio of infrastructure companies that will anchor the next generation of trustless, decentralized systems.
With typical venture-stage investments ranging between $100K and $250K, Maelstrom delivers both capital and strategic insight, bringing unique value to its portfolio companies.
MEDIA PRESENCE
Hayes is a frequent voice in financial and crypto media, where his bold predictions and thought leadership often spark debate.
He has been featured in Bloomberg, CNBC, Yahoo! Finance, CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, The Block, Binance, Bitcoin.com, CoinMarketCap, and Real Vision, among other leading outlets.
His media presence, combined with his experience as a trader, exchange operator, and investor, has cemented his reputation as one of the most influential and controversial figures in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.