Missed the Spring Festival Rally? HTX’s February Performance Review Highlights Three Potential “Catch-Up Sectors” in the Post-Festival Crypto Market

After the Spring Festival, the crypto market gradually entered a new trading cycle. Following a phase of upward momentum, capital began rotating from a single hot sector to multiple sectors, with AI, privacy computing, DeFi, and stablecoin yield strategies remaining consistently active. As market sentiment improved, user engagement and fund inflows on trading platforms also rose in tandem.

Data from HTX shows that the number of new registered users in February increased by 16% month-on-month, and monthly net fund inflows ranked second industry-wide, with both user scale and trading activity showing growth trends. According to DeFiLlama data, HTX has risen to sixth place globally on the Clean Assets leaderboard (i.e., genuine asset reserves excluding exchange tokens), achieving its best-ever ranking. Based on recent market performance and platform asset data, HTX has identified three emerging “catch-up” sectors worth watching.

Three High-Potential Sectors Worth Watching: AI Meme, Privacy Computing & Technical Infrastructure

In early February, the explosive popularity of the OpenClaw ecosystem propelled AI-integrated meme assets to the forefront of market attention. Compared to traditional meme projects, next-generation AI memes typically feature stronger narrative appeal and community-driven virality—making them more likely to spark trading momentum during periods of improving market sentiment.

In response to this trend, HTX launched 14 new assets in February across high-demand sectors including AI, MEME, DeFi, and privacy computing. Notably, several popular BASE-ecosystem AI MEME assets—including CLAWD, MOLT, and CLAWDCH—were listed, alongside community-favored projects such as BNKR and CLANKE, further strengthening coverage across these sectors. In the current environment of sector rotation, community-driven assets like these often serve as key barometers of market sentiment.

Beyond community-focused assets, several technology-oriented projects debuted on HTX in February—including ZAMA, a ZK-based privacy protocol, and ESP, a privacy infrastructure project. ESP achieved a peak price gain of 80% post-listing. Similarly, UP, a Base-ecosystem DeFi project, posted a peak gain of 60%, while ROBO—a robotics-themed project—surged up to 92%, emerging as one of the standout technical assets of the month.

Overall, technical directions such as AI, privacy computing, and robotic automation are increasingly becoming integral components of Web3 infrastructure. As industry-level technical narratives deepen, such assets tend to present strong catch-up opportunities during sector rotations.

Stablecoin Yield: A “Can’t-Be-Ignored” Safe Haven Amid Market Volatility

In an environment of heightened market volatility, stablecoin yield products have become an increasingly important allocation choice for capital. Throughout February, HTX Earn maintained strong appeal. The platform’s stablecoin earn products cover major assets including USDT, USDC, USDD, U, and USD1, offering tiered annualized yields of up to 15% after subsidies—while retaining unlimited individual quotas.

Notably, the USDe flexible-term earn product saw its total holdings briefly surpass $100 million. Meanwhile, the newly launched USAT flexible-term earn product performed well, delivering a subsidized annualized yield of approximately 10%, expected to continue until mid-March. Additionally, the contract-based earn product Yu Bi Bao sustained robust returns, averaging ~3% annualized yield, with a single-day high of 6.21% annualized yield.

Product Upgrades Continue: New TradFi Section Now Live—Trade Gold & Silver on HTX

In terms of trading products, HTX continued expanding its derivatives ecosystem in February. Aligning with broader industry trends, HTX introduced a new TradFi section, featuring derivative instruments for traditional financial assets such as gold, silver, and crude oil. With the continuous addition of new assets, the platform now offers over 220+ monthly futures and perpetual contract trading pairs—providing users with more diversified trading options.

Additionally, HTX completed an important product upgrade: the index price composition and weight query function is now fully open to all users. Previously available only to API users, this feature now allows retail users to view real-time index composition details—enhancing transparency and empowering users to make more informed trading decisions.

Expanding Industry Influence & Global Footprint

In terms of brand presence and industry influence, HTX Ventures participated in major global industry events in February—including Consensus Hong Kong and ETHDenver—and continued publishing weekly market reports to deliver industry trend analysis and investment insights to users. During the Hong Kong Developer Conference, HTX DAO hosted an exclusive ecosystem dinner, facilitating in-depth discussions with industry partners and further strengthening HTX’s brand recognition among developers and project ecosystems.

Meanwhile, HTX launched its flagship annual competition in February: “The Summit Match II: $1.5M Lunar New Year Celebration.” Immediately upon launch, the event drew widespread market attention, attracting over 10,000 participants and significantly boosting overall trading ecosystem activity. The Team Competition is currently underway.

Globally, HTX continues advancing localized development initiatives. Following receipt last year of a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from Pakistan’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA), HTX is actively building out its local exchange infrastructure in Pakistan—including implementation of anti-money laundering systems, establishment of a local corporate entity, and development of a comprehensive compliance framework.

Signs of Market Recovery Emerge; HTX Trading Ecosystem Continues Expanding

Overall, against the backdrop of gradual market recovery, AI Meme, privacy computing, and stablecoin yield products are emerging as key focal points for market attention.

At the same time, with new registered users rising 16% month-on-month, HTX’s user base and trading ecosystem continue expanding. By continuously enriching asset offerings, optimizing trading products, and advancing global expansion, HTX remains committed to delivering increasingly diverse digital asset trading and investment opportunities to users.

About HTX

Founded in 2013, HTX has evolved over 12 years from a cryptocurrency exchange into a comprehensive blockchain business ecosystem—spanning digital asset trading, financial derivatives, research, investment, incubation, and more.

As a leading global Web3 gateway, HTX pursues a strategic vision centered on global expansion, ecosystem prosperity, wealth creation, and security & compliance—delivering comprehensive, secure, and reliable value and services to cryptocurrency enthusiasts worldwide.

For more information about HTX, please visit https://www.htx.com/ or HTX Square, and follow us on X, Telegram, and Discord. For further inquiries, please contact [email protected].