FCA obtains HTX settlement and UK promotion undertakings
A settlement and High Court undertakings constrained HTX's UK activity, showing the operational reach of financial-promotion enforcement against an overseas exchange.
The Financial Conduct Authority announced on October 29, 2026, that it had secured a settlement and High Court undertakings concerning HTX's cryptoasset promotions. The regulator said HTX was no longer active in the United Kingdom and would not accept new UK signups or deposits.
Financial-promotion rules govern how investments and services are marketed to consumers. An exchange can face restrictions on reaching a jurisdiction's customers even when its underlying trading systems operate elsewhere. For Bitcoin users, those restrictions affect access through an intermediary rather than the ability of the Bitcoin network to process transactions.
The outcome was a settlement supported by undertakings, not a criminal conviction or a global closure of the exchange.
The October development gave the promotion dispute concrete operational consequences. It connected advertising and solicitation rules with the exchange's ability to bring new UK customers and funds onto its platform.