Wallets/htx
HTX (formerly Huobi)
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Overview
HTX (formerly Huobi) is a global crypto exchange + Justin Sun-controlled post-2022 acquisition + Sep 2023 "HTX" rebrand to mark 10-year anniversary [1, 2, [global-cro]]. 2025 baseline: HTX 10M+ users worldwide (a decade+ of operations); HTX brand name — H = Huobi heritage + T = TRON ecosystem commitment + X = exchange + Roman numeral 10 representing HTX 10-year anniversary; May 2026 UK government sanctions HTX for alleged violations of international sanctions against Russia; HTX has obtained licenses or pursued compliance in Gibraltar + Lithuania + Dubai + BVI + Australia.
Distinctive HTX positioning [1, 2, 3, 4]:
- Justin Sun-controlled global crypto exchange + Sep 2023 "HTX" rebrand to mark 10-year anniversary (HTX brand name — H = Huobi heritage + T = TRON ecosystem commitment + X = exchange + Roman numeral 10 representing 10-year anniversary)
- HTX 10M+ users worldwide (a decade+ of operations; lackluster global adoption per industry observers)
- 2022 Justin Sun (cryptocurrency billionaire + TRON founder) acquires Huobi — distinctive Huobi ownership transfer
- Sep 2023 — Huobi Global rebrands to HTX — distinctive HTX 10-year anniversary rebrand (Justin Sun strategic global positioning; controversial similarities to FTX brand drew industry criticism)
- May 2026 UK government sanctions HTX for alleged violations of international sanctions against Russia
- HTX multi-jurisdiction compliance pursuit: Gibraltar + Lithuania + Dubai + BVI + Australia + others
- HTX received industry awards: "Most Trustworthy Crypto Exchanges 2025" + "Best Centralized Exchange 2024"
History
Sep 2013 — Huobi founded by Leon Li in Beijing, China — distinctive Chinese crypto exchange heritage.
2017 — Chinese government bans crypto trading exchanges → Huobi relocates internationally (Seychelles + Singapore + global expansion).
2022 — Justin Sun (cryptocurrency billionaire + TRON founder) acquires Huobi — distinctive Huobi ownership transfer.
Sep 2023 — Huobi Global rebrands to HTX — distinctive HTX 10-year anniversary rebrand (HTX brand name — H = Huobi heritage + T = TRON ecosystem commitment + X = exchange + Roman numeral 10 representing 10-year anniversary; controversial similarities to FTX brand drew industry criticism) [2, 4].
2024 — HTX named "Best Centralized Exchange 2024" industry award.
May 2026 — UK government sanctions HTX for alleged violations of international sanctions against Russia [2].
2025 — HTX 10M+ users worldwide; "Most Trustworthy Crypto Exchanges 2025" industry award [1].
Ownership & operator
Operating entity: HTX (Seychelles entity; Justin Sun-controlled post-2022 acquisition).
Major shareholders: Justin Sun (TRON founder + cryptocurrency billionaire; HTX advisor + controlling shareholder) + Leon Li (Huobi founder; advisory) + crypto venture capital + private float.
Regulators: Seychelles + Gibraltar + Lithuania VASP + Dubai VARA + BVI + Australia AUSTRAC compliance pursuit.
Technical integration
HTX mobile app (iOS + Android) + htx.com web + HTX API (REST + WebSocket + FIX); HTX Spot + HTX Derivatives + HTX Earn + HTX Launchpad + HTX Primelist + HTX integrated with TRON ecosystem (distinctive Justin Sun TRON ecosystem ties); USDT + USDC + BTC + ETH + TRX funding; cross-chain bridging.
HTX ecosystem synergies: HTX + TRON + Poloniex — distinctive Justin Sun-controlled crypto exchange ecosystem alignment.
Users & growth
2025: HTX 10M+ users worldwide (a decade+ of operations; lackluster global adoption per industry observers compared to other Chinese-origin exchanges).
Use cases
Global (ex-US; ex-China) crypto retail + derivatives + spot + on-chain trading via HTX mobile + web + API; HTX integrated with TRON ecosystem (distinctive Justin Sun TRON ecosystem ties); HTX Spot + HTX Derivatives + HTX Earn + HTX Launchpad + HTX Primelist; HTX ecosystem synergies: HTX + TRON + Poloniex (distinctive Justin Sun-controlled crypto exchange ecosystem alignment).
Implementations & partners
Operator: HTX (Seychelles entity; Justin Sun-controlled post-2022 acquisition).
Justin Sun ecosystem sister entities: HTX (formerly Huobi) + TRON (Justin Sun's blockchain network) + Poloniex (Justin Sun-controlled US crypto exchange; post-2019 acquisition from Circle for $400M) + BitTorrent (Justin Sun-controlled post-2018 acquisition for $140M) + Steemit (Justin Sun-controlled post-2020 acquisition controversy).
Major global centralized crypto exchange competitors: [[binance]] (global #1 by volume; CZ-founded; 2023 US DOJ $4.3B settlement) + [[coinbase]] (US #1; NASDAQ: COIN) + [[okx]] (global top-5; Star Xu-founded) + [[bybit]] (global top-5; Ben Zhou-founded; Dubai HQ; 2025 $1.5B hack survival) + [[bitget]] (top-4 derivatives; 150M+ users; Universal Exchange UEX) + [[kucoin]] (global top-5; 2025 DOJ $297M settlement + 2026 CFTC permanent US exit) + [[mexc]] (#3 global CEX by spot volume Dec 2025) + [[gemini]] (US Winklevoss; Sep 12 2025 NASDAQ IPO at $3.3B) + [[kraken]] (US #2).
Regulators: Seychelles + Gibraltar + Lithuania VASP + Dubai VARA + BVI + Australia AUSTRAC compliance pursuit.
Fun facts
- Justin Sun-controlled global crypto exchange + Sep 2023 "HTX" rebrand to mark 10-year anniversary.
- HTX brand name — H = Huobi heritage + T = TRON ecosystem commitment + X = exchange + Roman numeral 10 representing 10-year anniversary.
- HTX 10M+ users worldwide (a decade+ of operations; lackluster global adoption per industry observers).
- 2022 Justin Sun (cryptocurrency billionaire + TRON founder) acquires Huobi — distinctive Huobi ownership transfer.
- Sep 2023 Huobi Global rebrands to HTX — distinctive HTX 10-year anniversary rebrand (controversial similarities to FTX brand drew industry criticism).
- May 2026 UK government sanctions HTX for alleged violations of international sanctions against Russia.
- HTX ecosystem synergies: HTX + TRON + Poloniex (distinctive Justin Sun-controlled crypto exchange ecosystem alignment).
- Industry awards: "Most Trustworthy Crypto Exchanges 2025" + "Best Centralized Exchange 2024".
Comparison
| Feature | HTX (formerly Huobi) | [[binance]] (global #1 by volume rival) | [[okx]] (global top-5 + Chinese-origin rival; formerly OKCoin) | [[kucoin]] (global top-5 + 2025 DOJ $297M settlement + 2026 CFTC permanent US exit rival) | [[mexc]] (#3 global CEX by spot volume Dec 2025 rival) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | HTX (Seychelles entity; Justin Sun-controlled post-2022 acquisition) | Binance Holdings Ltd (Cayman Islands) | OKEx Cayman Ltd (Seychelles HQ) | Mek Global Limited (Seychelles entity; permanent US exit post-Mar 2026 CFTC order) | MEXC Global (Singapore-founded; Seychelles entity) |
| Type | Justin Sun-controlled global crypto exchange + Sep 2023 HTX rebrand to mark 10-year anniversary + 10M+ users + HTX ecosystem synergies (HTX + TRON + Poloniex) | Global #1 by volume + 250M+ users + Binance Smart Chain (BNB Chain) + 2023 US DOJ $4.3B settlement | Global top-5 + OKX Wallet + OKX Chain + Star Xu founder | Global top-5 + 2025 DOJ $297M settlement + 2026 CFTC permanent US exit + 38M+ users worldwide + 1.5M US users at time of DOJ settlement | #3 global CEX by spot volume Dec 2025 + 40M+ users in 170+ countries + 2,278 spot pairs (6x competitors) + altcoin trading volume growth leader |
| Country | Seychelles + 100+ countries (ex-US; ex-China) | Cayman Islands + global (ex-US) | Seychelles + global | Seychelles + permanent US exit post-Mar 2026 | Seychelles + 170+ countries (ex-US) |
| Distinctive | Sep 2013 Huobi founding by Leon Li in Beijing; 2017 Chinese government crypto trading ban → Huobi international relocation; 2022 Justin Sun (TRON founder) Huobi acquisition; Sep 2023 HTX rebrand (controversial FTX similarities); May 2026 UK government Russia sanctions; HTX ecosystem synergies (HTX + TRON + Poloniex) | 2017 founding by CZ; 2023 US DOJ $4.3B settlement + CZ 4-month US prison + permanent CEO ban | 2017 founding (formerly OKCoin); Star Xu founder; founded as OKEx then renamed OKX | 2017 founding by Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang; Jan 2025 DOJ $297M settlement + Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US exit | Apr 2018 founding as MXC; 2021 MEXC rename; 2025 #3 global CEX by spot volume Dec 2025 |
Status
Active, Justin Sun-controlled global crypto exchange + Sep 2023 "HTX" rebrand to mark 10-year anniversary [1, 2, 3, 4]:
- HTX (Seychelles entity; Justin Sun-controlled post-2022 acquisition) since Sep 2013 Huobi founding by Leon Li in Beijing.
- 10M+ users worldwide; 2017 Chinese crypto trading ban → international relocation; 2022 Justin Sun Huobi acquisition; Sep 2023 HTX rebrand.
- May 2026 UK government Russia sanctions.
- Seychelles + Gibraltar + Lithuania VASP + Dubai VARA + BVI + Australia AUSTRAC compliance pursuit.
Sources
- 1 HTX (cryptocurrency exchange) — Wikipedia
- 2 Justin Sun hopes HTX rebrand will help exchange keep pace with rivals' global expansion — The Block
- 3 Huobi Global Rebrands to HTX: Embarking on a New Journey to the Next Decade — HTX Square
- 4 Huobi 10th Anniversary: Rebranding to HTX & Global Expansion — BeInCrypto
- [global-cro] In-corpus:
reports/countries/global.md
Source
Biography extracted from htx.md. See matrix.md for standards-support matrix if present.