Arthur Hayes, the Chief Investment Officer of Maelstrom, believes that the next cryptocurrency bull market is already in motion, primarily driven by a surge in liquidity linked to government spending on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and wartime economies. In an interview with The Rollup, he highlighted three altcoins—NEAR Protocol, Zcash, and Hyperliquid—as promising investments for this cycle. Hayes argues that governments in the U.S., China, and Europe will continue to print money to support AI infrastructure and national defense, with this liquidity likely flowing into Bitcoin and select cryptocurrencies. He identifies Zcash as the leading privacy coin, essential for users seeking financial confidentiality in an increasingly surveilled world. NEAR Protocol is noted for its potential in facilitating confidential transactions and AI-driven commerce, while Hyperliquid is praised for its strong revenue model and robust tokenomics. Additionally, Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR, emphasizes a return to fundamental values in the crypto space, focusing on revenue, user engagement, and sustainable token economics.