Justin Sun-backed crypto exchange HTX has officially launched US stock futures trading through its TradFi Zone, allowing users to trade USDT-margined perpetual contracts on popular equities like Tesla and NVIDIA around the clock.
In a pinned post on X, HTX declared, “Wall Street has closing hours, but on Huobi HTX, we never close!” The post announced that the TradFi Zone now supports popular US stock contracts that users can trade directly with USDT, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the ability to go long or short.
Justin Sun, TRON founder and advisor to HTX, amplified the announcement with his own repost, writing: “US stock futures now officially launched on Huobi!”
The TradFi Zone app interface visible in Sun’s post shows USDT-margined contracts across multiple asset classes, including gold (XAGUSDT), Brent crude oil (BRENTOILUSDT), and what appears to be a CBRS equity ticker—suggesting the stock futures rollout is part of a broader expansion that already includes precious metals and commodities.
Part of a Broader TradFi Expansion
The US stock futures launch is not new territory for HTX. The exchange introduced its TradFi Perpetual Contract section earlier in 2026, initially covering gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and crude oil. In Q1 alone, HTX’s TradFi section launched over 22 assets, helping push quarterly derivatives trading volume toward $300 billion.
In April, HTX listed 28 new futures contracts, including 11 equity assets such as MU, SNDK, META, and NVDA. The exchange’s TradFi footprint expanded further in early May with the addition of pre-IPO assets including SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic — a move that blurs the line between crypto derivatives and traditional equity exposure.
HTX now has over 59 million registered users as of Q1 2026, and its April monthly futures volume approached $100 billion, according to the exchange’s own performance reports.
A Race Across the Industry
HTX is far from alone. The launch comes amid an industry-wide push to bring traditional asset exposure onto crypto rails.
Binance launched Tesla perpetual futures in January 2026 after introducing gold and silver contracts earlier that month. Coinbase rolled out Magnificent 7 stock perpetuals in March, offering up to 10x leverage on single-name stocks and 20x on ETF products, all settled in USDC. Phemex, BingX, Toobit, and WEEX have all introduced similar TradFi perpetual sections in 2026.
The products share a common structure: USDT- or USDC-settled perpetual contracts with no expiration date, leveraged exposure to underlying equity price movements, and 24/7 trading. Users do not receive ownership, dividends, or voting rights — these are purely synthetic price-tracking instruments.
Regulatory Questions Remain
The rapid expansion of stock-linked perpetual futures on crypto exchanges raises familiar regulatory questions. These products are not available to US users on any of these platforms—HTX, Binance, and Coinbase all restrict access for US-based traders.
The CFTC has been exploring the possibility of allowing perpetual futures trading domestically, with Coinbase’s 24/7 Bitcoin futures seeing strong weekend participation. Kalshi, the prediction markets platform, is also reportedly planning to offer perpetual futures tied to digital assets. But crypto-native stock perpetuals — where a Seychelles-registered exchange offers synthetic Tesla exposure with leverage and USDT margin — occupy a regulatory gray zone that no major jurisdiction has fully addressed.
For HTX specifically, the exchange operates out of Seychelles and is prohibited in the United States. Its largest user bases, according to traffic data, are in Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, and India.
