Arthur Hayes Bets $2M on LDO and PENDLE Tokens for DeFi Exposure

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes just dropped a $2 million vote of confidence on DeFi.

The Whale Move Hayes isn't just talking the talk. His seven-figure purchase of LDO and PENDLE tokens signals a major player diving headfirst into the decentralized finance pool. This isn't pocket change—it's a strategic allocation from someone who built one of crypto's original empires.

Why These Tokens? LDO, the governance token for Lido Finance, sits at the heart of the liquid staking revolution. PENDLE powers a protocol that lets traders speculate on future yield. Together, they represent a direct play on two of DeFi's most fundamental engines: staking and yield generation. Hayes isn't buying memes; he's buying infrastructure.

The Bigger Picture This move cuts through the noise. While traditional finance debates rate cuts, a crypto pioneer is bypassing the middleman entirely, putting capital directly into the protocols that are building a parallel financial system. It's a stark reminder that the real innovation—and risk—isn't in the boardroom, but in the code.

One cynical finance jab? It's almost refreshing to see a multi-million dollar bet that doesn't involve a quarterly earnings call or a CEO explaining why 'synergies' failed to materialize. In DeFi, the code either works or it doesn't. Hayes is betting $2 million that this code works.

TLDR

• Arthur Hayes purchased 1.9M LDO tokens worth $1M as part of his DeFi rotation.
• He also acquired $973K worth of PENDLE tokens, adding to his DeFi portfolio.
• Hayes sold some Ethereum holdings to fund recent DeFi token purchases.
• Hayes believes high-quality DeFi tokens will benefit from better liquidity conditions.

Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, is significantly increasing his exposure to decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens. In the past week, Hayes has made major moves, acquiring $2 million worth of DeFi assets. This includes $1.03 million in Lido DAO (LDO) tokens and $973,000 worth of Pendle (PENDLE) tokens. His latest purchases are part of a broader strategy to rotate out of ethereum (ETH) into high-quality DeFi tokens.

Arthur Hayes(@CryptoHayes) just bought 1.855M $LDO($1.03M).https://t.co/loeYKUb9rNhttps://t.co/NISCOnoO3T pic.twitter.com/773lJ85IgO

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) December 26, 2025

These actions highlight his growing confidence in DeFi protocols, which he believes will benefit from improved liquidity conditions in the market. Hayes’s strategic shift comes at a time when many DeFi tokens are seeing renewed interest from investors.

Hayes Makes Large Investments in Lido DAO and Pendle Tokens

Arthur Hayes has significantly expanded his holdings in Lido DAO (LDO), a major liquid staking protocol in the cryptocurrency market. According to data from Lookonchain, Hayes acquired 1.9 million LDO tokens for approximately $1.03 million.

At the time of purchase, the price of LDO was around $0.56, showing a modest increase of nearly 2% in the last 24 hours. Lido DAO’s governance token plays an essential role in Lido Finance, one of the largest platforms for liquid staking in the crypto ecosystem.

On-Chain Update: Arthur Hayes (@CryptoHayes) adds to his DeFi stack with a fresh buy of 1.855 million $LDO (~$1.03M), executed 9 minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/7iDv0Pff2y

— Proudforte.SOL (@proudforte) December 26, 2025

Alongside his LDO purchase, Hayes also acquired a large quantity of PENDLE (PENDLE) tokens. The BitMEX co-founder bought around $973,000 worth of PENDLE tokens, further increasing his DeFi exposure. Pendle is a protocol designed to tokenize yield-bearing assets, providing unique opportunities for DeFi users to maximize returns on their crypto holdings. Hayes’s ongoing commitment to DeFi projects signals a growing interest in this sector, as he positions himself for potential long-term gains.

Selling Ethereum to Fund DeFi Investments

In a recent move, Arthur Hayes sold a portion of his Ethereum (ETH) holdings to fund his acquisitions of DeFi assets like PENDLE, Ethena (ENA), and Ether.fi (ETHFI). This strategy reflects Hayes’s belief in the future potential of high-quality DeFi tokens over the longer term. 

Earlier in the week, he had sold approximately 1,871 ETH, worth about $5.53 million, and used part of the funds to purchase over $600,000 in DeFi tokens. By trimming his Ethereum stack, Hayes has sought to diversify into tokens that he expects to benefit from liquidity improvements and other market conditions.

While Ethereum remains a central player in the broader cryptocurrency market, Hayes’s decisions reflect his growing interest in DeFi projects that promise more specialized use cases, such as yield tokenization and decentralized staking. This rotation into DeFi assets could indicate a shift in market sentiment, with investors eyeing decentralized protocols as key drivers of the next phase of crypto market growth.

DeFi Rotation Strategy Gaining Momentum

Hayes has consistently shown interest in the evolving DeFi space, a sector that continues to attract both retail and institutional attention. He has expressed confidence that decentralized financial systems will thrive as liquidity conditions in the broader market improve. His recent moves, including the purchases of LDO and PENDLE, are seen as part of a broader strategy to capitalize on this trend.

With a focus on liquidity and innovation, Hayes’s investments in Lido DAO and Pendle demonstrate his belief that DeFi protocols could provide better returns and more opportunities in the coming months. As market conditions evolve, it will be interesting to see how other institutional investors react to similar shifts toward DeFi-focused portfolios.