UK regulator takes High Court action against HTX over crypto promotions

In an update published on 10 February 2026, the FCA said the Chancery Division of the High Court has granted it permission to serve the claim outside the UK and by alternative means. The regulator noted that HTX, previously known as Huobi Global, is incorporated in Panama.

The case is being brought under the UK’s Financial Promotions regime introduced in October 2023, which tightened how crypto firms can market to UK consumers. The FCA said it had previously warned HTX about promotions aimed at UK users but alleged the exchange continued to publish non-compliant marketing on its website and across social platforms including TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Steve Smart, the FCA’s joint executive director of enforcement and market oversight, said firms targeting UK consumers must follow rules intended to prevent unfair or misleading promotions, and described the action as the regulator’s first enforcement case against a crypto firm for illegally marketing to UK consumers.

The FCA said it has asked social media companies to restrict access to HTX accounts for UK-based users and requested the removal of HTX apps from the Apple and Google app stores in the UK. It also added HTX to its Warning List, reminding consumers they may not have UK regulatory protections if they use the platform. Cointelegraph said it contacted HTX for comment and had not received a response.

As GNcrypto wrote on 18 December 2025, HTX Research published a report on the growth of pre-market trading in digital assets, describing it as a market layer between primary fundraising and spot markets and linking it to longer token issuance timelines and points and airdrop-driven programs. The report highlighted risks including thin liquidity, information asymmetry and settlement dependence on project teams, and said cumulative pre-market volumes for projects such as WLFI and Monad have exceeded $1 billion.