Key Takeaways

• Arthur Hayes predicts Ethereum will drop out of the top 3 cryptocurrencies by 2030 as AI-focused coins take over.

• He also forecasts Bitcoin rallying to $125,000 by year-end.

• Hayes dismisses recession fears, saying governments will print money to avoid any big crash.

Arthur Hayes, former BitMEX boss and famous crypto bull, has sparked some members of the crypto community to speak out after delivering a bullish Bitcoin price prediction and a controversial take on Ethereum’s long-term outlook.

In a recent podcast appearance with Kyle Chasse, Hayes also gave his thoughts on why a future recession may not be worth worrying about.

When asked whether Ethereum would be able to keep its top spot in the big three by the end of the decade, Hayes pushed back.

Keep in mind, though, Hayes’ predictions have often missed the mark in the past, so take this with a pinch of salt.

By 2030, he suggested, Ethereum may have fallen out of the top three by market cap and shifted into the “top five.”

The reason is a shift towards the “agentic economy,” where AI agents handle transactions and tasks independently.

“No, I think there will be some AI-focused coins that power the agentic economy, that quickly rocket up to the top three,” he said.

Hayes did not name a specific coin as the successor, but instead spoke generally about AI tokens.

He also pushed back on Solana switching to Ethereum anytime soon, arguing that the real competition comes from new AI-focused assets.

Ethereum rose to fame through smart contracts and DeFi, but many industry figures are betting the next wave will be AI-powered technology.

These new initiatives will require chains geared for rapid, autonomous agents rather than the previous arrangements. 

Elsewhere during the rapid-fire questions at the end of the interview, Hayes spoke bullishly about Bitcoin’s near-term price gains.

By the end of the year, he predicted a strong rally to $125,000.

Hayes has said he is already heavily invested, mainly in Bitcoin, and is waiting for clearer signs such as more bank lending. 

In his opinion, events such as the Iran tensions may prompt the Fed to loosen up, printing more money that flows directly into risk assets.

Bitcoin, he argues, is the finest hedge in this volatile environment.

However, his exact price projections have historically overshot or undershot, so don’t bet the house just yet. Some were early, while others missed significantly.

The recent prediction has led some in the community to speak out, with one X user writing: “He may be directionally correct over long time frames, but that’s not that hard to do, and when he talks short to mid term he’s usually wrong.”