Arthur Hayes, co‑founder of BitMEX and CIO of Maelstrom, rejected on June 6 2026 accusations that he leveraged his X presence to create exit liquidity for his own trades in Zcash, NEAR Protocol and Hyperliquid.
Allegations and Their Source
On‑chain analyst ZachXBT posted a thread claiming Hayes promoted the three crypto assets before liquidating his positions, leaving followers with losses. The tweet, dated June 6, featured a screenshot of Hayes’ recent posts and asked, “How much exit liquidity was created from your followers over the past couple days?” The allegation specifically targeted the price movements of ZEC, NEAR and related tokens.
Hayes’ Rebuttal
Hayes responded that he never manages other investors’ capital nor dispenses financial advice, emphasizing that his X updates merely reflect his personal portfolio actions. He urged readers to conduct independent research, stating that he never directs anyone to buy, sell or hold any cryptocurrency.
He further challenged critics to locate any explicit instruction he gave about how followers should allocate their money, noting that his comments are solely disclosures of his own market activity. Hayes also highlighted that roughly 70 %‑90 % of his predictions miss the mark, arguing that successful investing does not depend on a high win rate but on strategic position sizing.
Potential Market Impact
If investors acted on Hayes’ posts and subsequently sold at lower prices, the resulting liquidity drain could depress the market price of Zcash, NEAR Protocol and Hyperliquid tokens. Such a scenario may erode confidence among crypto investors who track influential figures on social media platforms.
Nevertheless, Hayes’ denial underscores the broader debate about the responsibility of high‑profile crypto personalities and the importance of independent due diligence for market participants.