Binance CEO Teases Justin Sun Over Huobi’s Name Change Amid $7.9 Million Hack, Offers Hand In Tracking Stolen Assets

Crypto exchanges often find themselves struggling with hackers. But amidst the challenges, there’s always room for a little banter, especially when it comes from industry giants. Changpeng Zhao, better known as CZ, the CEO of Binance, couldn’t resist taking a playful jab at Justin Sun, the founder of Huobi Global, after the latter’s exchange faced a hack of over $7.9 million. The incident came just a week after Huobi underwent a rebranding, changing its name to HTX—a move that many noted bore a striking resemblance to another major exchange, FTX-now bankrupt.

Binance Wants To Support HTX In Tracking Stolen Funds

HTX, previously known as Huobi, suffered a security breach resulting in a loss of 500 ether (ETH), valued at approximately $8 million. The breach, which took place on Sunday, was promptly detected. Justin Sun, HTX adviser and founder of Tron, assured that HTX has compensated for the losses and all funds remain secure. He shared this update on the social media platform X, previously recognized as Twitter.

A recognized hot wallet from Huobi conveyed a message in Chinese to the attacker. The message indicates that the exchange is aware of the attacker’s identity and has proposed allowing them to retain 5% of the siphoned funds as a “white-hat reward.” However, this is contingent upon the attacker returning the other 95%.

Sun said, “$8 million represents a relatively small sum in comparison to the $3 billion worth of assets held by our users. It also amounts to just two weeks’ revenue for the HTX platform. As a result, all funds are secure, and trading operations have continued as usual. We promptly addressed and resolved all issues, restoring the platform to its normal state without delay.”

In a cheeky tweet, CZ remarked, “A week after you rename your exchange after FTX”. The aim was clear: the name change might have brought with it some unexpected and unwanted attention.

However, CZ extended Binance’s willingness to assist in the aftermath of the hack. “Jokes aside, our security team will help in tracking hacker funds in all cases where we can,” he added.

Huobi’s HTX Name Brings Attention

On the 10th anniversary, cryptocurrency exchange Huobi underwent a rebranding, transitioning from “Huobi” to “HTX.” This move has drawn significant attention on social media due to its resemblance to the name of the now-bankrupt exchange, FTX. The parallels to FTX, whose founder Sam Bankman-Fried is currently facing 13 fraud-related charges, have raised eyebrows and sparked discussions among users.

One observer commented on X, wondering about Huobi’s transition to HTX and mentioning it reminded them of FTX. Another user on X debated the decision, suggesting that the first thing on everyone’s mind would be the similarity between FTX and HTX. This user also expressed doubt over why a brand would choose such a name, especially after FTX’s downfall in 2022.