From PEPE to Billions: meet crypto’s boldest whale James Wynn

James Wynn recently grabbed headlines with a $1.1 billion long position on BTCPERP via HyperLiquid. But who is the trader behind this bold move and what other high-stakes plays has he made? More importantly, which coin is he betting on now?

James Wynn, who recently placed a $1.1 billion bet on Bitcoin (BTC) perps on HyperLiquid, identifies as a “high-risk leverage trader and memecoin maxi” on X. He built this position starting with just a $400K margin about five days ago, steadily increasing his exposure and eventually leveraging 40 times to control the $1.1 bet. He entered the position at an average BTC price of roughly $108K, according to Coinglass.

The trade has since suffered extreme volatility, with the position showing a paper profit of $17 million at one point before swinging into a $15.6 million unrealized loss. Despite this, the position currently holds a profit of approximately $14 million, with Bitcoin trading above $110K. Wynn’s liquidation price sits near $95,805, meaning his position remains safe for now.

Wynn started trading on HyperLiquid around two months ago. During this period, he executed 32 leveraged trades on various currencies, including trades on Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) and Official Trump (TRUMP), where he reportedly earned $4.8 million and $6.8 million, respectively, earlier this month.

Wynn also claims to have spotted opportunities early, like identifying Pepe coin (PEPE) as a buy when its market cap was just $600K.

Wynn’s latest bet is Moonpig (MOONPIG), an $80M marketcap memecoin that’s rallying 120% at press time.