HTX

Leon Li, the founder who launched the exchange as Huobi in 2013, remains the single most influential figure in HTX's strategic decisions. While HTX operates under a global management structure with no single CEO, Li's equity stake and board-level authority give him effective control over major pivots, including the firm's post-2021 offshore restructuring and venture strategy.

HTX's venture division invests directly from the firm's balance sheet and through dedicated fund vehicles, targeting seed and Series A rounds in blockchain infrastructure, DeFi protocols, and Web3 applications. The firm leverages its exchange's trading data and listing pipeline to identify early-stage projects with liquidity potential. HTX also runs accelerator programs that provide technical support, token advisory services, and exchange listing pathways in exchange for equity or token warrants.

No. Following China's comprehensive ban on cryptocurrency trading and mining in 2021, HTX closed all mainland China operations and shifted its legal domicile offshore. Its primary operational entities are now registered in Seychelles, with additional regulatory approvals in Gibraltar and Hong Kong, and no licensed presence in mainland China.

HTX is the current incarnation of the exchange originally launched as Huobi in 2013. The rebranding to HTX in late 2022 reflects the firm's offshore restructuring and its ambition to distance itself from the now-defunct Chinese operations. The original 'Huobi' name survives in some markets, but the consolidated entity operates globally as HTX, with token ticker HT.

HTX's venture investment program is primarily a proprietary, balance-sheet-funded operation derived from exchange revenues and the firm's own token treasury. There is no public evidence that HTX currently operates a blind-pool fund that accepts third-party limited partners, though its accelerator programs occasionally co-invest alongside external venture funds on a deal-by-deal basis.

HTX maintains exchange services across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America, with regulatory licenses or registrations in Seychelles, Gibraltar, and Hong Kong. Its venture investments skew toward projects based in the US, Southeast Asia, and the UAE — regions with active developer communities and relatively defined digital-asset regulatory frameworks.

HTX closed all renminbi-to-crypto on-ramps, delisted Chinese nationals from its KYC-verified user base, and blocked mainland IP addresses in compliance with the People's Bank of China's 2021 directive. Some former Chinese users are believed to access HTX through offshore accounts using VPNs, but the firm's official position is zero mainland China operations. Its user base is now concentrated in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.