Arthur Hayes is a famous figure from the early days of Bitcoin, who co-founded the off-shore BitMEX exchange in 2014 before running afoul of U.S. regulators. Hayes recently pleaded guilty to failing to implement sufficient money-laundering controls, and accepted a sentence of probation and paying a fine, but early this year he received a full pardon from President Donald Trump. Today, his focus is on managing Maelstrom, the fund run by his family, but Hayes also remains a deeply influential figure in the digital assets world. Fortune freelancer Anna Tutova caught up with him on the sidelines of Token2049 in Dubai, where he shared his view on current market trends—including a prediction that Bitcoin could hit $200,000 in the near term and $1 million by 2028.
In the Q&A, Hayes also offers insight into the market for Ethereum and alt-coins, and explained his surprise 20% allocation to gold. He also offered some dire warnings about ballooning U.S. debt. (The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity).
