Worldcoin (WLD) to $5 by August on AI IPO narrative

Maelstrom, an investment firm linked to Arthur Hayes, says Worldcoin’s token WLD could rally to about $5 by August (around +900% from ~$0.50). The firm frames WLD as a “clean proxy” for the AI IPO wave, arguing the market has not priced in the same tech-stock optimism. The timing is tied to major AI fundraising/IPO catalysts: Maelstrom points to OpenAI’s confidential SEC IPO filing (May 22, potential September 2026 debut) and Anthropic’s confidential draft prospectus after a May 28 valuation update following a $65B funding round. For WLD-specific supply/demand, Maelstrom highlights two potential sources of reduced sell pressure. First is a “short overhang”: an OTC WLD token sale in March reportedly led buyers to hedge with WLD perpetual futures shorts, which can mechanically weigh on price until positioning unwinds. Second, the Worldcoin unlock schedule is expected to cut daily emissions by about 43% on July 24. A further demand angle is raised via Eightco (ORBS), which holds roughly 283M WLD and around $144M in cash. If ORBS deploys that cash to buy additional WLD that is heavily shorted, Maelstrom expects a possible “reflexive loop.” Trading context: WLD is reported as a top-100 market-cap leader, up roughly 60% over the past week, and Maelstrom notes the token “doesn’t move often— but when it does, it moves aggressively.”