Happy Tuesday!

Bitcoin is going to $250,000, at least as far as Arthur Hayes is concerned. He says the war with Iran is actually bullish — here’s why.

Ripple’s top executive David Schwartz touts it as an “important” development, yet XRP is not going up. Here’s what happened in the Ripple ecosystem today.

Plus, retail investors are driving major market moves, and AI remains the dominant theme, creating powerful opportunities in high-growth, high-volatility sectors. Join Benzinga and Direxion in this free webinar to see where momentum is building and how investors are positioning.

TOP STORY

Arthur Hayes: Bitcoin To $250,000 In 2026 And $750,000 In 2027 Because Trump Will 'Print Money'

Arthur Hayes is doubling down: $250,000 Bitcoin in 2026, $500,000-$750,000 by end of 2027 — and he says the U.S.-Iran conflict is the catalyst.

The BitMEX co-founder argues the Fed will follow its historical playbook of printing money to finance Middle East military campaigns, flooding the system with liquidity that flows into hard assets.

The institutional signal backs him up: spot Bitcoin ETFs just pulled in $458.2 million in a single day.

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Join Direxion's Senior Vice President of Institutional ETF Strategy Shawn Edwards and Gianni Di Poce, analyst at The Mercator LLC., for a high-impact virtual bootcamp to learn why this theme remains front and center. During this bootcamp, traders and investors will gain insight into where momentum may be building and how to use ETFs to capitalize on it. Click here to learn more.

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QUICK N DIRTY

Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP are holding the line despite ongoing geopolitical tensions: here’s what’s moving markets today.

Bitcoin is doing remarkably well considering the geopolitical tensions. Here’s why that may not be for long.

Steak n Shake is doubling down on its Bitcoin commitments and is going to start paying employees in BTC. Here’s how it will work.

FINTECH FOCUS

'Seems Important,' Ripple Exec Says About This Development — But XRP Disagrees

Ripple CTO David Schwartz called it "important" — and he's not wrong.

Hidden Road today went live on the DTCC's National Securities Clearing Corporation directory, plugging Ripple Prime directly into the backbone of traditional finance settlement.

The timing is no accident: geopolitical shock from the Iran conflict is spiking settlement risk, making trusted post-trade infrastructure more valuable by the day.

But XRP isn't celebrating…

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