As a seasoned crypto investor with a knack for sniffing out promising opportunities, I can confidently say that Arthur Hayes has consistently proven himself to be a game-changer in the industry. His uncanny ability to identify emerging market trends and his knack for throwing unforgettable parties have earned him the title of the “influencer’s influencer.

Arthur Hayes is widely regarded as the leading authority among influencers within the cryptocurrency sphere. At crypto conferences, his events are the most sought-after tickets, often resulting in lengthy queues. He’s also a trend-setter, shaping narratives on emerging sectors of the market such as Bitcoin Ordinals.

Over the past year since its inception, Hayes’ family office, Maelstrom, has made numerous significant investments. However, it was the recent venture, Ethena (symbol: USDe), that sparked a lot of interest within the market this year.

USDE is not like traditional stablecoins such as USDC or USDT. Instead of relying on cash reserves to maintain a $1 value, it uses staked Ether for collateral and adjusts its price using short positions on ETH. This setup allows it to generate revenue through staking rewards and market fees.

This profile belongs to our special feature, “CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2024.” To view the list of nominees for this year, please click here.

Not only has USDe been positively accepted by investors, but as per DeFiLlama data, its market capitalization has significantly grown. Initially starting the year at approximately $100 million, it currently exceeds $5.25 billion.

Hayes’ Take

The US Dollar on Chain (USDc) mirrors Hayes’ skeptical perspective towards fiat currency, as expressed in his popular Medium articles, due to its offering of a digital dollar substitute that operates entirely free from conventional banking structures.

Hayes believes that decentralized finance, encompassing digital assets like USDe, plays a crucial role in counteracting the ongoing devaluation characteristic of traditional fiat currencies. In the period preceding the U.S. election, Hayes demonstratively backed his stance by increasing his investment in USDe. It’s unclear whether this conviction was warranted at the time, as Donald Trump ultimately won the election and bitcoin soared to $100K.

And so it goes for Hayes.

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2024-12-10 18:20