Huobi Token (HT) is the ERC-20 native utility token of the Huobi exchange, launched in January 2018, which provides trading fee discounts, voting rights in exchange governance, and access to exclusive token sale events (Huobi Prime). Huobi, founded in 2013 in China, was once one of the world’s three largest cryptocurrency exchanges alongside Binance and OKX; it was rebranded to HTX in 2023 following acquisition by interests associated with Justin Sun, though the token ticker remains HT.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | HT |
| Price | $0.17 |
| Market Cap | $18.77M |
| 24h Change | -1.2% |
| Circulating Supply | 109.40M HT |
| Max Supply | 500.00M HT |
| All-Time High | $39.66 |
| Contract (Ethereum) | 0x6f25...a161 |
| Contract (Near Protocol) | 6f2596...near |
| Contract (Elastos) | 0xecee...e3f3 |
| Contract (Harmony Shard 0) | 0xbaa0...a2f2 |
How It Works
- Trading fee discounts — HT holders receive tiered discounts on Huobi/HTX trading fees based on their HT balance and 30-day trading volume.
- Huobi Prime IEO — HT is required to participate in Huobi Prime (now HTX Prime), the exchange’s IEO launchpad. Users hold HT to receive allocation in new token sales.
- Buyback and burn — Huobi historically used 15–20% of quarterly revenue to buy back and burn HT from the open market, reducing circulating supply.
- Governance — HT holders have participated in community votes on exchange product features and asset listings.
- Deducting fees — HT can be used to directly pay trading fees in place of the base fee currency.
Tokenomics
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | HT |
| Chain | Ethereum (ERC-20) |
| Contract | 0x6f259637dcd74c767781e37bc6133cd6a68aa161 |
| Max Supply | 500,000,000 (500 million) |
| Circulating Supply | Reduced over time by burn program |
| Launch | January 24, 2018 |
| Burn mechanism | Quarterly buyback and burn from exchange revenue |
Use Cases
- Fee discounts — Pay lower trading fees on HTX.
- IEO access — Hold HT to participate in HTX Prime token launches.
- Governance — Vote in exchange proposals.
- Exchange equity proxy — HT price tends to reflect HTX trading volume and exchange health.
History
- 2013 — Huobi founded by Leon Li in Beijing, China. Rapidly grows to one of China’s top cryptocurrency exchanges.
- 2017 — September 2017: China bans ICOs and domestic crypto exchanges. Huobi exits China, relocates operations to Singapore and other jurisdictions. Establishes Huobi Global.
- 2018-01-24 — HT (Huobi Token) officially launches. Distributed via a “user credit” model where traders receive HT based on trading activity rather than a traditional sale (at launch). Max supply: 500 million.
- 2018–2019 — Huobi maintains position in top 3 exchanges globally by volume.
- 2021 — HT reaches all-time high of approximately $39.68 during the bull market.
- 2021 — Chinese authorities crack down on crypto again; Huobi ceases mainland China services by end of 2021.
- 2022-10 — Leon Li (founder) sells controlling stake in Huobi Group. The buyer is described as an investment group; later reporting ties it to Justin Sun (Tron founder).
- 2023-09 — Huobi officially rebrands to HTX (a combination of Huobi, Tron (TRX), and eXchange, per company statement). The HT token ticker is retained.
- 2023 — HTX suffers a security breach (approximately $99.9 million in losses between HTX and affiliated bridges Heco bridge). Funds partially recovered and reimbursed.
- 2024 — HTX continues operating globally, though with reduced influence compared to its peak.
Common Misconceptions
“HT and HTX are completely separate since the rebrand.”
HT is the same ERC-20 token that existed before the rebrand — the contract address is unchanged. The exchange name changed to HTX; the token did not change its ticker or contract.
“Huobi is still Chinese-headquartered.”
Since 2017, Huobi/HTX has not operated within mainland China. It is legally headquartered offshore (Seychelles, Singapore, etc.) and its current controlling ownership is associated with Justin Sun.
Social Media Sentiment
HT’s community has shrunk significantly compared to its peak. The Justin Sun acquisition was controversial — critics raised concerns about centralization and conflict of interest (Sun controls Tron, which has faced legal scrutiny). The 2023 security breach further eroded trust. HT retains utility for HTX users who trade frequently, but it no longer commands the cultural cachet of its 2020–2021 peak.
Last updated: 2026-04