Worldcoin faces new test after Arthur Hayes abruptly sells out

Arthur Hayes has closed his entire Worldcoin position after turning cautious on WLD and other high-beta altcoins within days of publicly defending the trade.

Hayes said in posts on X that he sold the full WLD position on June 6 after earlier arguing that the token could benefit from renewed interest in artificial intelligence-linked assets. The BitMEX co-founder had outlined a bullish case for WLD on June 3, then reiterated the view on June 4, linking the token to expected AI IPO activity and shifting liquidity conditions.

Hayes Cuts WLD After Rapid Rally

Worldcoin had gained strongly during the previous three weeks, even as several altcoins struggled to hold momentum. Crypto analyst Stacy Muur said on June 5 that WLD had advanced about 68% while the crypto market fell roughly 10%. She attributed part of that gap to Hayes and his fund, Maelstrom.

By June 6, Hayes had reversed course and shared a chart to explain why he had sold the full position. His exit turned WLD from one of his preferred AI-related trades into another token removed from his book during a sharp round of risk reduction.

The sale came after WLD became more volatile in early June. Hayes did not describe the move as a slow portfolio adjustment. Instead, his public posts showed a quick move from conviction to a complete exit.

HYPE, NEAR, ZEC Sales Came First

Worldcoin was not the first token Hayes dropped during the week. On June 4, he said he had sold his full HYPE and NEAR holdings and told followers that he would explain the decision in an essay titled “Reality Test,” expected the following Tuesday.

In the same macro note, Hayes cited higher energy prices tied to the Iran conflict, three expected AI IPOs before early Q3, and his view that President Trump could adopt an anti-AI stance before the midterms. Hayes presented those issues as reasons to reassess positions linked to AI and speculative liquidity.

A day later, Hayes also exited Zcash after the Orchard shielded-pool vulnerability became public. He wrote that the trade no longer worked for him because the bug could not be formally proved to prevent unauthorized minting. Hayes added that the “privacy from AI, govt, big tech narrative demands perfection.”

As previously covered on crypto.news ZEC sale ended what Hayes had called his “Holy Trinity” of HYPE, NEAR, and ZEC. WLD then became the final major position he removed.

Hayes remains a closely followed crypto investor, and his trades often shape debate even when they do not directly move prices. His decision to sell WLD, HYPE, NEAR, and ZEC within two days gave traders a clearer view of his current caution toward altcoins outside Bitcoin and Ether.

The key question for WLD holders is whether the token’s earlier premium can hold without Hayes as a public backer. Stacy Muur’s June 5 comments showed how far WLD had moved ahead of the market before the exit.