Arthur Hayes #26

Biography:

American-born Arthur Hayes is a Fortune “40 Under 40” listee. Hayes co-founded one of crypto’s largest derivatives exchanges, BitMEX, in 2014. With a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Hayes worked in investment banking and markets trading prior to the formation of BitMEX. He currently resides in Hong Kong.

Arthur Hayes's 2019:

Hayes has no shortage of bold words when it comes to his various comments. In July, Hayes expressed a lack of faith in the future success of banks and traditional digital fiat-based payment options such as PayPal. In September, Hayes made headlines when he commented that traditional markets may move more toward crypto’s 24/7 schedule, eating up lunch breaks and weekends. In the same month, Hayes also tweeted that Bitcoin could revisit all-time price highs as a result of quantitative easing.

In November, the exchange made a blunder when it accidentally leaked user email addresses to other users, but the firm appears unconcerned about operational security ramifications. In December, a former JPMorgan derivatives trader and early seed investor in BitMEX sued Hayes and co. for $300 million after failing to deliver his equity.

What Cointelegraph expects for 2020:

Looking toward 2020, Hayes expects Bitcoin to breach its all-time high near $20,000, pending continued inflationary rise, as well as a continuation of the narrative that sees Bitcoin as a store of value. In an increasingly competitive exchange space, BitMEX will likely acquire or partner with other firms throughout the year in order to maintain a competitive advantage. This new year will require the exchange to address or move beyond the various setbacks beset on the company the previous year.