Hayes-Linked Wallet YOLO's $5.4M in ETH Right as the Strait of Hormuz Reopens 🌊

A crypto wallet possibly linked to BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes received 3,000 ETH worth approximately $5.42 million from market maker Flowdesk on June 15, according to on-chain tracker Lookonchain, as Ethereum climbed nearly 6% following the announcement of a U.S.–Iran peace agreement. The purchase, flagged by Lookonchain in a post on X reading "A wallet possibly linked to Arthur Hayes received 3,000 ETH ($5.42M) from Flowdesk an hour ago," marks a reversal of weeks of de-risking by the Maelstrom chief investment officer. In his "Reality Test" essay published June 8, Hayes disclosed he had liquidated positions in Hyperliquid ($HYPE), Near Protocol ($NEAR), Worldcoin ($WLD) and Zcash ($ZEC), describing the moves as defensive macro de-risking rather than a loss of faith in the projects. He maintained Bitcoin ($BTC) and Ether ($ETH) as explicit core holdings throughout the rotation and has remained structurally bullish on Ethereum, projecting in a June 2026 thesis that ETH could reach $10,000 to $20,000 before the end of the current cycle on the back of macro liquidity expansion and Ethereum's role as the collateral layer for DeFi.

The geopolitical catalyst was concrete. U.S. President Donald Trump declared the Iran deal complete on Sunday, authorizing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of the U.S. naval blockade, with a formal signing ceremony set for June 19 in Switzerland. He confirmed that shipping traffic through the strait had resumed, while crude oil prices climbed more than 5% to around $80.53 per barrel. Bitcoin topped $66,500 during the session, and Ether reached $1,828, its highest level in over a week, outperforming most major cryptocurrencies.

The Hayes-tied wallet was not the only large ETH buyer on the day. Lookonchain data showed that the address geministar.eth withdrew 21,136 ETH worth approximately $37.05 million from Binance through a series of transactions, bringing combined ETH accumulation by the two addresses to more than $42 million within hours.