The HTX crypto exchange has stopped working with clients from the UK. The exchange signed a settlement agreement with the local regulator and undertook not to attract British users until 21 October 2031. The document was formalized through the High Court of London.
HTX is a major crypto exchange, which used to be called Huobi. The FCA is the British financial regulator; it decides who has the right to advertise financial services in the country.
This matters to a trader for one reason. Access to a platform can be lost not because of a hack or problems at the exchange, but because of a regulator's decision in a particular country.
What exactly was banned?
On 29 October, the FCA announced that HTX no longer operates in the country.
- New deposits - British clients cannot make them
- Registration - closed to new users
- Client acquisition - the exchange undertook not to seek out or engage British users
- Advertising - the HTX website, apps and social networks are banned: X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok, YouTube, Discord, Medium, LinkedIn
Who signed the document and when?
The order was issued by Deputy Master Holden on 27 October. It records a confidential settlement agreement dated 16 October between the FCA and Huobi Global S.A.
This is the exchange's operating company, registered in Panama. It undertook not to distribute financial advertising that violates Section 21 of FSMA 2000. The ban also applies to its employees, agents and intermediaries.
Section 21 of FSMA 2000 is a British law under which financial services advertising may only be issued by a licensed or approved entity.
Why did the dispute last a year?
The FCA's claim was filed on 21 October 2025, publicly announced in February 2026.
- The claims were ignored. According to the regulator, the exchange did not respond to attempts to settle the dispute.
- The advertising continued. The platform published promotions through its website and social networks.
- The defendant was not identified. In addition to Huobi Global, the claim names unidentified persons associated with the ownership, management and advertising of the platform. The FCA could not establish who exactly is responsible for the operation of the platform.
What does this mean going forward?
The agreement does not admit guilt, and the financial terms have not been disclosed. The case is stayed, but either party can return to court for enforcement without a new claim.
The main point: the five-year term gives the FCA a tool to pressure the exchange's advertising, which physically operates outside British jurisdiction.
If relying on a single platform seems risky, take a look at how prop firm challenges are structured and how they differ from a personal account at the academy.
The exchange closed access, but your money was there?
Decisions like this come without warning. Yesterday you were registering, today deposits are no longer accepted. And then you see what all trading rests on - a personal deposit that you top up yourself and are limited by yourself. Prop trading works differently: you pay for selection, and the company provides the trading account and risk limits and takes a share of the profit. It makes more sense to understand this scheme in advance, rather than on the day access is closed somewhere else.