Arthur Hayes sold 247,334 HYPE tokens worth about $18.02 million this week, along with an undisclosed amount of NEAR tokens. The sale comes just days after the BitMEX co-founder publicly challenged Kyle Samani to a $100,000 charity bet that HYPE would outperform every other top-10 cryptocurrency by year-end.
The $100,000 Bet
Hayes called out Samani on social media, offering to wager six figures that his favored token would beat the rest. Samani hasn't publicly responded yet. The timing of the sale — right after that challenge — has turned heads. Hayes framed it as profit-taking before a peak he expects between now and September.
Why Hayes Sold
Hayes gave four reasons for unloading HYPE. Higher energy prices from the Iran war, inventory restocking across supply chains, three large AI IPOs expected before early Q3, and a prediction that President Trump will turn against AI to help Republicans win the midterm elections. In his view, these factors will put downward pressure on crypto markets in the near term. He's not abandoning the token — just trimming before what he sees as a top.
Still Bullish on WLD
Despite the HYPE sale, Hayes remains bullish on Worldcoin (WLD), targeting $10 per token. He plans to hold through the SpaceX IPO next week, suggesting he sees more runway in that trade. In April 2026, BeInCrypto reported Hayes had stacked over 26,000 HYPE tokens worth roughly $1.1 million. He'd previously set a $150 price target for HYPE and predicted it would overtake Solana. The current sale doesn't appear to signal a reversal of that long-term view.
Hayes says he'll publish a fuller explanation in an essay titled 'The Reality Test' next week. That should give more detail on his market timing and why he's still holding WLD through the SpaceX IPO. For now, the market's watching whether Samani picks up the bet — and whether Hayes's profit-taking was early or right on time.
