Arthur Hayes-Backed RIVER Coin Skyrockets 1,200% in Three Weeks

Chain-abstraction stablecoin system River (RIVER) has quietly done more than a 10x since Christmas Day, outperforming the digital asset markets.

RIVER Reaches a $3.8 Billion FDV After Suddenly Exploding Into New Year

River, launched in September of last year, is a chain abstraction system that is powered by the omni-CDP stablecoin satUSD, which users can earn, leverage, and scale through different chains or ecosystems natively.

It also features automated yield strategies or “smart vaults,” institutional-grade regulated yield products or “prime vaults,” and an incentivized social engagement system.

River is currently integrated with 30 different protocols across major ecosystems, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Base.

In early January, the project announced that it had secured an investment from Maelstrom, the crypto investment fund founded by BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes. That announcement coincided with the beginning of an explosive rally that has taken RIVER all the way to the $38.32 level.

On Christmas Day, RIVER was trading at $2.80.

Hayes also acknowledged the price movement on X, calling for a $100 price target.

Source: Arthur Hayes

RIVER is already listed on several large crypto exchanges, including Kraken, Bitget, MEXC, BingX, and, as of early Friday, HTX.

Hayes, who said that Maelstrom entered 2026 taking on “maximum risk,” is not only long RIVER, but a myriad of different “sh*tcoin” sectors, particularly the privacy narrative, which he says is poised to outperform bitcoin.

Said Hayes in a recent blog post:

The Maelstrom teams focus is to find at least one shitcoin that can lead the way and generate outsized returns to our portfolio over the next few years within the privacy meta.

Maelstrom entered 2026 with almost maximum risk. While we will continue to invest spare cash generated from various financing trades into Bitcoin, our dollar stables position is very low. To obtain outperformance versus BTC and ETH, I will sell BTC to fund privacy positions and sell ETH to fund DeFi. In both cases, if I pick well, as fiat credit expands, my selection of shitcoins should outperform.

• What is River (RIVER)？

  River is a chain-abstraction stablecoin system powered by the omni-CDP stablecoin satUSD, enabling cross-chain yield, leverage, and scaling.

• Why did RIVER price surge over 10x？

  RIVER rallied after Maelstrom, the fund founded by Arthur Hayes, disclosed an investment, triggering strong market momentum.

• What is Rivers current valuation？

  RIVER has reached roughly a $3.8 billion fully diluted valuation ( FDV) after climbing from $2.80 on Christmas Day to over $38.

• Where can you buy RIVER tokens？

  RIVER is listed on major crypto exchanges including Kraken, HTX, Bitget, MEXC, and BingX.