Arthur Hayes Preparing $250M Equity Fund For Crypto Firms

Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX and a distinguished determine within the bitcoin world, is reportedly making ready for a high-profile return to the sector.

His household workplace, Maelstrom, is in search of to boost a minimum of $250 million for its debut personal fairness fund, Maelstrom Fairness Fund I, which hopes to accumulate 4 to 6 mid-market corporations within the crypto area. according to in response to Bloomberg reporting.

Every funding is anticipated to be between $40 million and $75 million, with a give attention to corporations that present buying and selling infrastructure, information analytics and different expertise companies to the crypto ecosystem.

Arthur Hayes is understood for creating the perpetual change, which reworked the crypto buying and selling platform BitMEX. He turned the youngest African-American crypto billionaire and was pardoned from President Trump after BitMEX’s anti-money laundering failures.

“$BTC on the market,” Hayes posted at X as we speak. “If this swing in U.S. regional banking turns right into a disaster, be ready for a 2023-style bailout. After which store with the idea that you’ve spare capital.”

Fund particulars from Arthur Hayes

The brand new fund represents a little bit of a pivot for Maelstrom. Whereas the corporate’s earlier enterprise capital investments have been token-focused, the brand new car will focus solely on fairness.

“You may’t artificially improve worth with a token that is not used within the off-chain world,” mentioned Akshat Vaidya, co-founder and managing companion of Maelstrom.

By specializing in off-chain cash-generating corporations, the fund will purchase corporations with clearer valuations and sustainable development potential.

Maelstrom plans to construction any acquisition by way of special-purpose automobiles (SPVs), with the fund because the anchor investor, Bloomberg reported.

As soon as acquired, these corporations will endure operational enhancements, together with administration upgrades and development acceleration, earlier than being bought to bigger traders inside 4 to 5 years.

In line with Vaidya, the technique appeals to traders who need publicity to the fast-growing, high-cash move crypto sector however lack the in-house experience to handle such investments straight.

Hayes’ re-emergence comes amid a broader slowdown in personal fairness exercise inside crypto. The variety of offers within the sector has fallen sharply since 2022, following the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX.

The Maelstrom fund might be registered in the US and plans to draw a various group of lenders, together with crypto traders, household workplaces and institutional gamers similar to pension funds.

Vaidya mentioned the fund is focusing on an preliminary shut on March 31, 2026, with a full increase accomplished by September 2026. Hayes will take the lead alongside Vaidya and newly employed companion Adam Schlegel, with plans to develop the group because the fund grows, in response to Bloomberg.

A collection of high-profile acquisitions this yr, together with Coinbase’s $2.9 billion buy of Deribit and Ripple’s $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Highway, reveal renewed investor confidence within the digital asset area.