HTX DAO is a multi-chain decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) designed to be an open and transparent entity for community governance within the crypto ecosystem. ^{[1] [2]} It operates as a decentralized assembly of its token holders, who use the native governance token, HTX, to propose and vote on the organization's direction. The DAO is closely integrated with the HTX cryptocurrency exchange (formerly Huobi) and the TRON blockchain ecosystem, aiming to bridge the benefits of both Centralized Finance (CeFi) and Decentralized Finance (DeFi). ^{[3] [2]}​

Overview

HTX DAO's core mission is to foster a "user-owned Free Financial Port" and an open, transparent, and free financial hub in the Web3 space by promoting open finance and a decentralized tokenized economy. ^{[3] [4] [5]} The organization is not a registered legal entity but rather a collective governed by smart contracts, with decision-making power fully entrusted to the global community of HTX token holders. ^{[3] [11]}​

The DAO's structure is built upon two foundational pillars: the HTX exchange and the TRON blockchain. The name "HTX" reflects this relationship, with 'H' representing the HTX exchange as a major liquidity contributor, 'T' representing the TRON blockchain as the token's technological base, and 'X' symbolizing the potential for future change and the inclusion of new ecosystem partners. ^[3] The organization's vision involves transforming the HTX exchange into a "People's Exchange" governed by its community, where the platform's success directly benefits token holders through deflationary mechanisms and shared governance. ^[8] The long-term vision is to build a "metaverse free port aimed at achieving financial freedom for all 8 billion people on Earth." ^[12]

The DAO's governance philosophy has evolved over time. Key ambassador Liu Ye (Molly) noted in August 2025 that the initial approach to decentralization was "too loose," leading to a shift towards a more structured and pragmatic model. This includes testing new ideas on a small scale before a full launch to identify issues early. ^[5] This evolution was partly driven by the need to secure licenses in Western jurisdictions, which required more detailed documentation of its economic model and governance processes. ^[5]​

History and Development

The creation of HTX DAO and its $HTX token involved a transition for holders of the HTX exchange's previous native token, Huobi Token (HT). A voluntary conversion process was established, allowing long-term supporters to migrate to the new DAO structure. ^{[1] [3]} To promote adoption, the DAO conducted large-scale airdrops, including one targeting TRON Network users and another "Epic Airdrop" that distributed over 255 billion HTX to more than 60,000 recipients. ^[1]​

In Q3 2024, HTX DAO changed its economic model, moving away from a liquidity staking mechanism to a quarterly token burn system funded by HTX exchange revenues. ^[5] A strategic partnership with DeepLink, a blockchain-based cloud gaming platform, was announced on August 14, 2024. ^[6]​

A significant step towards deeper community governance occurred in July 2025. The HTX DAO Listing Recommendation Portal was opened on July 4, and on July 18, the DAO officially launched its "Token Listing and Delisting Governance by Recommendation mechanism" following the passage of proposal HIP-005. ^{[6] [7]} On August 21, 2025, HTX officially released an updated white paper for the DAO, providing more detail on its economic model and future roadmap to support license applications in Western markets. ^[5]​

Celebrating its first anniversary in early 2025, HTX DAO reported significant growth throughout 2024. The number of $HTX token holders surpassed 728,900, while the price of the token increased by 350% from an August low to an all-time high of $0.000003596. During 2024, a total of 49 trillion $HTX tokens were burned, the exchange Launchpool distributed $5.19 million in rewards, and the token was listed on 28 different platforms. The DAO also held two governance committee elections, resulting in 11 community-elected members. ^[12]

Governance

​HTX DAO's governance is designed to be decentralized and community-driven, with all formal proposals voted on-chain to ensure transparency and security. ^[2] The DAO is committed to greater transparency and progressively refining its processes to elevate the community's role in key business decisions. ^{[8] [11]}​

Governance Process

The governance process begins with preliminary discussions and proposals on the HTX DAO Forum. Ideas that gain substantial community support can be submitted as formal proposals, known as HTX Improvement Proposals (HIPs), for an official on-chain vote. The DAO's holding-based voting tool was launched on April 7, 2025. To participate, users must hold $HTX tokens in a TRON LINK wallet and vote via the official HTX DAO website. ^{[3] [4]} In 2024, the community held two governance committee elections, selecting 11 members to help steer the DAO. ^[12]

Early successful proposals included:

• HIP-001: HTX DAO Committee Member Policy
• HIP-002: HTX DAO’s Official Interview Series "The DAO Talks"
• HIP-005: The Token Listing and Delisting Governance by Recommendation mechanism

These proposals cover key areas such as initiating new ventures, empowering operational teams, and selecting tokens for the HTX platform. ^{[3] [4]}​

Token Listing and Delisting Governance

Launched in July 2025, this mechanism transfers significant control over the HTX exchange's asset listings to the community. It allows $HTX holders to recommend, discuss, and vote on which new tokens should be listed through an initiative known as "Vote to List." A user's voting power is determined by their "Rocket Value," which is based on their token holdings and trading activity. The mechanism also establishes criteria for delisting illiquid or high-risk assets. The objective is to replace centralized listing decisions with a democratic process, thereby improving the quality of assets on the platform and increasing transparency. ^{[7] [12]}

Participant Incentives

HTX DAO has implemented a system to reward active participation in governance. Users can earn points for actions such as voting, trading, staking, and content creation, making them eligible for airdrops. The DAO also plans to introduce "vote-to-earn" incentives. Furthermore, active participants in successful listing proposals may receive benefits like fee cashback, and on-chain governance activity could contribute to a future "governance credit system" for accessing exclusive opportunities like Launchpool whitelists. ^{[5] [7] [4]}​ Other engagement initiatives include a "Surprise Gift" feature for crypto rewards distribution and a proposed "Multi-Farming for Launchpool" model that allows users to earn yields and airdrops from a single staked asset. ^[12]

In explaining the DAO's shift toward a more structured governance model, Key Ambassador Liu Ye stated, “Our initial idea of decentralization was too loose. We thought a DAO was just a place where everyone could speak and vote. But in practice, most votes reflect desire rather than expertise.” ^[5]​

$HTX Token

The HTX is not an exclusive token for the HTX exchange nor an upgraded version of the former Huobi Token (HT). ^[3]​

The whitepaper includes a disclaimer that the token has no inherent utility or value upon creation and makes a direct comparison to meme coins, stating: "The HTX token has no fundamental distinction from a typical memecoin, where there is no intrinsic, inherent or investment value." ^[3]​

Utility and Benefits

Holding or using the HTX token provides several benefits, primarily within the HTX exchange ecosystem:

• Governance: Grants holders the right to vote on DAO proposals.
• Trading Fee Deduction: Can be used to receive discounts on trading fees on the HTX platform.
• Launchpool: Allows participation in new project launches to earn rewards and airdrops. In 2024, the Launchpool distributed $5.19 million in rewards with a peak APY of 100%. ^[12]
• Prime Membership Boost: Enhances benefits for HTX exchange Prime members.
• HTX Earn Products: Features like SmartEarn and HTX Flexible allow users to earn daily rewards on balances and stake idle tokens. As of January 2025, HTX Earn products had attracted 391,221 subscribers with a total subscription value of $4.308 billion. ^[12]
• Trade to Earn: A program to earn $HTX rewards by trading specific cryptocurrencies.
• Liquidity Mining: Users can provide liquidity to the HTX/TRX pool on the SUN.io decentralized exchange to earn rewards.

These utilities are designed to integrate the token deeply into both CeFi and DeFi activities. ^{[1] [2]}​

Multi-Chain Contract Addresses

The HTX token is available on multiple blockchain networks.

​Blockchain Network	Contract Address
TRON	TUPM7K8REVzD2UdV4R5fe5M8XbnR2DdoJ6
Ethereum (ETH)	0x61ec85ab89377db65762e234c946b5c25a56e99e
BNB Chain (BSC)	0x61ec85ab89377db65762e234c946b5c25a56e99e
BitTorrent Chain (BTTC)	0x31161bc5dac078dbae525a4fd3b362fd440658b8

Tokenomics

The tokenomics of HTX are designed around a large total supply with a deflationary mechanism funded by exchange revenue.

Supply and Distribution

The total and maximum supply of HTX is 999,990,000,000,000 (approximately 999.99 trillion). ^[2] The initial token distribution was allocated as follows:

• Early Contributors and Public Allocation: 19%
• Community Access Program: 19%
• Platform Development: 17%
• Partnership and Collaboration: 15%
• Developer Grant: 10%
• Research and Development: 10%
• Ecosystem Supporter: 10% This distribution model prioritizes community programs, development, and partnerships to foster platform growth. ^[3]

Deflationary Mechanism: Token Burn

HTX DAO employs a quarterly token burn mechanism, funded by 50% of the HTX exchange's quarterly revenue, to buy back and burn HTX tokens, thus reducing the circulating supply. ^{[11] [8] [9]} The tokens are permanently removed from circulation by sending them to a burn address, with the process executed on the Sun.io platform for on-chain transparency. ^{[4] [5]}

Throughout 2024, a total of 49 trillion $HTX tokens were burned. ^[12] The DAO has conducted a series of regular quarterly burns since. For Q1 2025, the DAO destroyed 11.3 trillion HTX tokens, valued at over $19.2 million. ^[4] The burn for Q3 2025 removed 13.1 trillion HTX (valued at over $27.03 million), an 11.19% increase from the previous quarter. ^[10] The subsequent Q4 2025 burn, announced in January 2026, destroyed over 13.6 trillion HTX tokens valued at over $23.31 million. ^{[11] [8]}

This permanent and transparent strategy has led to a significant reduction in token supply. By January 2026, the DAO had cumulatively burned approximately 99.49 trillion HTX tokens, valued at an estimated $186.93 million. This total represents nearly 10% of the token's total supply, signaling a period of accelerated deflation for the asset. ^{[11] [8]} The next quarterly burn is scheduled for April 15, 2026. ^[9]​

Ecosystem Liquidity Pledge (Former Mechanism)

Prior to Q3 2024, the DAO utilized an "Ecosystem Liquidity Pledge" mechanism. This system was designed as an alternative to token burns to navigate potential regulatory concerns. Instead of destroying tokens, it encouraged ecosystem participants to voluntarily pledge HTX or TRX liquidity to a decentralized pool on Sun.io. These funds were intended to boost DeFi applications and support developers, managed by a decentralized treasury address to prevent control by any single entity. This model was later replaced by the direct token burn system. ^{[3] [5]}​

Technology and Ecosystem

HTX DAO is built upon the TRON blockchain but maintains a multi-chain presence. Its ecosystem is deeply interconnected with key partners that provide liquidity, technology, and community support.

Key Partners and Collaborations

• HTX Exchange: The primary ecosystem partner and the largest contributor to the DAO's token burn program, providing 50% of its quarterly revenue for this purpose. The exchange's growth underpins the DAO's deflationary mechanism; in 2025, HTX reported surpassing 55 million registered users, achieving a trading volume of $3.3 trillion, and recording net capital inflows of $608 million. ^{[8] [3]}
• TRON: The foundational blockchain for the HTX token and the DAO's on-chain governance. The DAO also collaborates with TRON-based projects like the HACKATRON hackathon series. ^[1]
• Poloniex Exchange: A key partner that committed to providing liquidity pledges to the DAO's ecosystem. ^[2]
• Sun.io: The TRON-based decentralized exchange used for liquidity mining and for executing the DAO's on-chain token burns. ^[1]
• DeepLink: A strategic partner in the cloud gaming sector, announced in August 2024. ^[6]

Security

The DAO acknowledges inherent security risks, including potential financial loss, smart contract vulnerabilities, and human error. To mitigate these risks, the project has undergone third-party smart contract audits, though the auditing firm has not been publicly named. ^[3]​

Roadmap and Future Developments

As part of its "The People's Exchange 2.0" initiative, HTX DAO outlined its focus for 2025 and beyond, aiming to continue driving token burns, refining governance, and expanding its global footprint. ^[12] In the updated white paper released in August 2025, HTX DAO outlined a more specific roadmap for the following 6 to 12 months. The planned initiatives focus on expanding the DAO's integration with emerging DeFi sectors and improving its technical infrastructure. Key developments include:

• Launch of a Launchpad and Launchpool;
• Integration with Real-World Tokenized Assets (RWA);
• Integration with Liquid Staking Derivatives (LSD);
• Integration with stablecoins;
• Addition of support for cross-chain bridges These integrations are intended to broaden the utility of the HTX token and the DAO's ecosystem. ^[5]

Regulatory Considerations

HTX DAO operates with an awareness of the evolving regulatory landscape for digital assets. The shift from a liquidity pledge mechanism to a token burn was partly a strategic decision, while the August 2025 white paper update was explicitly linked to the organization's efforts to apply for licenses in Western jurisdictions. ^[5] The project's whitepaper includes a disclaimer prohibiting access to the HTX platform and token for users in the United States and countries sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). ^[3]​