Arthur Hayes has boosted a bullish take on Worldcoin from Maelstrom, arguing that WLD could serve as a high-beta proxy for the upcoming wave of AI IPOs. The case is built on a heavily shorted setup, a potential balance-sheet boost from Eightco, and a planned reduction in WLD token unlocks later this month. Hayes, the BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom’s chief investment officer, laid out the argument in his usual blunt style on X. “Read it and weep WLD bears,” he wrote. “This shitcoin is going to moon … cause AI duh. Don’t mid-curve this shit.” The post quoted a Maelstrom research note titled “WLD Hated Rally,” written by Lukas Ruppert, which frames Worldcoin as an overlooked liquid proxy for gaining exposure to OpenAI-related AI growth. Maelstrom’s stated target is $5 by August, though the firm advised readers to “DYOR” and noted the report was “not financial advice.”
Maelstrom Sees Worldcoin (WLD) As An AI Proxy
Maelstrom’s core argument starts with how public markets react to private tech listings. The firm pointed to SpaceX’s confidential S-1 filing on April 1, arguing that high-beta space stocks jumped sharply after the filing became known. Related Reading: Worldcoin’s FOMO Rally Cracks After On-Chain Activity Explodes
“When SpaceX confidentially filed its S-1 on April 1, high-beta space names ran,” Maelstrom wrote. “Rocket Lab (RKLB) rallied 165%. Anthropic has now filed as well. The AI mega IPOs are coming – and it appears the market has overlooked one of the cleanest proxies.” That proxy is WLD. According to Maelstrom, investors are aggressively seeking exposure to companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, often through layered SPVs that charge high fees and imply valuations in the hundreds of billions or even trillions. In contrast, the note says WLD trades at a $2 billion unlocked market cap, a relatively small figure if the market starts treating it as a liquid way to bet on AI-linked speculative demand. “Capital is aggressively chasing Anthropic and OpenAI exposure,” Maelstrom wrote. “Layered SPVs are charging egregious fees. Valuations are in the hundreds of billions and trillions. WLD trades at $2B unlocked market cap. A small cap, when it comes to AI valuations. Asymmetric upside.”
The Bear Trap Setup
The second part of the thesis is about positioning. Maelstrom argued that WLD has lagged the broader AI trade despite strong investor interest in the sector. The token is down year-to-date, according to the note, while perpetual funding rates have turned deeply negative. The firm linked that weakness partly to Worldcoin’s March OTC round, which it said raised $65 million, including $25 million locked for six months. Since then, Maelstrom argued, OTC participants have been hedging their exposure while long-short traders continued betting on a bearish chart. Related Reading: Worldcoin Drops 10% Even As Sam Altman Doubles Down On Human ID Tech
“While the AI bull market has been raging, $WLD is down YTD,” the note said. “In March, Worldcoin closed a $65M OTC round, with $25M locked for six months. Since then, perp funding has turned deeply negative as OTC participants hedge exposure and L/S traders continue pressing a down-only chart. Textbook short overhang. But those shorts could end in tears.” That short overhang is key to the $5 target. In Maelstrom’s view, WLD doesn’t need constant buying to move sharply. It needs a catalyst that forces crowded shorts to rethink their positions at the same time new buyers start treating the token as an AI trade. Maelstrom pointed to Eightco Holdings, trading under the ticker ORBS, as another possible accelerant. The note described Eightco as a WLD/OAI digital asset treasury and said the company reported about $144 million in cash and equivalents on its balance sheet on May 27. “Even a modest allocation into WLD could trigger a reflexive loop,” Maelstrom wrote, adding that the daily unlock rate is set to drop 43% on July 24. The firm also said ORBS already holds about 283 million WLD, which is roughly 8.3% of the circulating supply, and said the company is “just getting started.” UPDATE: In a later post on X, Hayes added: “The SpaceX IPO is going to blow people away. I’m holding onto WLD through the listing next week.” He also shared that he sold all of his HYPE and NEAR positions. As of now, WLD is trading at $0.5192. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on Arthur Hayes prediction that Worldcoin could reach 5 by August
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Who is Arthur Hayes and why should I care about his prediction
Arthur Hayes is the cofounder of BitMEX a major crypto exchange Hes a wellknown trader and influencer People pay attention to his predictions because he has a track record of making bold market calls but you should still do your own research
2 What is Worldcoin
Worldcoin is a crypto project that aims to create a global digital identity by scanning peoples irises using a device called the Orb The WLD token is used for governance and transactions within that system
3 Why does Arthur Hayes think WLD will jump to 5 by August
He believes that a combination of new token supply being locked up upcoming product upgrades and general market hype around AIrelated crypto projects will push the price up
4 Is 5 a guaranteed price
No Its just a prediction Crypto prices are very volatile and many factors could prevent it from hitting 5
5 If Worldcoin hits 5 how much money would I make if I bought now
That depends on the current price If WLD is trading at 2 and hits 5 youd make a 150 profit Always calculate the percentage gain not just the dollar amount
Intermediate Questions
6 What specific lockups is Arthur Hayes referring to
Hes talking about early investors and team members having their tokens locked in smart contracts When tokens are locked they cant be sold on the open market which reduces supply If demand stays the same or rises the price goes up
7 What are the risks if I buy WLD based on this prediction
The biggest risk is that the prediction is wrong Other risks include regulatory crackdowns on Worldcoins irisscanning model a general crypto bear market or the project failing to attract enough users Also token unlocks later in the year could flood the market with supply
8 Does Arthur Hayes have a history of being right about price predictions
He