In the fast-evolving digital economy, the significance of crypto payments is growing. AD, head of the HTX Pay business unit, views crypto payments not merely as a career but as a mission of paramount importance, grounded in trust and responsibility. He sees each transaction as a reflection of a user’s faith and expectations, and every technical update as the result of the team’s tireless effort and commitment.
Transitioning from the internet industry, AD entered the crypto space with a dual mindset: maintaining a “student-like” eagerness to learn while confidently applying a “seasoned” approach to business management and operations. When HTX relaunched its crypto payments business in late 2022, he chose to work directly on the front lines. He engaged closely with users, merchants, and industry veterans to apply his previous experience to this new landscape.
He was clear from the start: they wouldn’t simply copy what others were doing. Instead, they set clear quarterly goals and iterated based on to their specific phase. “We must forge a distinctive path based on our own context and phase,” he stated. Guided by this principle, HTX Pay completely overhauled its organizational structure, product roadmap, and risk control systems, and has since demonstrated steady, reliable growth.
Hearing the “Gunfire” on the Front Lines
AD’s leadership is defined by a highly pragmatic approach. He believes strategy is born not in boardrooms but on the front lines, amid the “gunfire” of real-world challenges. For him, a strategic plan is not a theoretical vision on PPT slides but a judgment built on extensive market insights, direct user feedback, and granular operational details. As the saying goes, firsthand experience leads to genuine wisdom.
“If anyone on our team, myself included, can’t hear the ‘gunfire’ from the front lines or can’t make sense of it, we are not doing our jobs right,” he said.
This statement isn’t a warning; it’s a standard for their daily work. Under his leadership, the HTX Pay team has fostered a hands-on culture where they remain deeply engaged. This involves frequent cross-department meetings, conducting regular in-depth user interviews, and the inclusion of engineers and risk control staff in operational reviews. Everyone is expected to step up and work directly on the front lines.
This close market connection also informs AD’s “non-copycat” business strategy. He rejects the idea of simply following established industry models, confident in the necessity of “forging our own unique path based on our specific phase.” From the very beginning of HTX Pay’s relaunch, it has chosen to set its own product development cadence, aligning its resources and long-term vision rather than blindly following industry norms.
As he puts it, “We aren’t in a race; we are building a truly sustainable and effective service system.” This simple declaration reflects a profound understanding of the long-term fundamentals of the crypto payment industry.
Building Trust from the Inside Out
AD’s philosophy is simple: the truest measure of a product’s maturity isn’t its market data but the willingness of its own employees to use it.
He candidly shares that HTX Pay initially saw minimal adoption from staff upon its launch. “The product was still in its early stages, and the workflow had some rough edges,” he explains. Rather than pushing it on colleagues, he led the team to adopt a user-centric mindset, carefully refining every detail—from basic workflows and transaction speeds to the overall user experience.
Today, HTX Pay is used daily by most HTX staff, including those who have since left the company. To AD, this shift is a far more powerful indicator of success than any external metric.
“It’s like running a restaurant—you have to be willing to eat the food you serve.”
He uses this powerful analogy to emphasize the importance of internal trust. It reflects his belief that a strong product must first earn the confidence of its “closest users.” This serves both as a test of the user experience and as a reflection of the company’s culture.
This focus on internal users laid the foundation for external success. The product’s value is now being demonstrated in the wider market, with strong consumer retention and steadily improving support efficiency for business clients. AD’s philosophy is clear: you can’t succeed in the broader market until you’ve first satisfied “your own people.”
Prioritizing Risk Control, Putting Security Above All
AD sees crypto payments as a financial service, not a game of numbers. This makes risk control non-negotiable. His position is firm: “Risk management is always the first priority.”
The HTX Pay business unit that AD manages oversees the most sensitive and high-stakes parts of the trading system, including deposits and withdrawals, trading, conversions, and fiat transactions. It handles the highest volume of fund flows and faces the strictest risk control requirements. AD is well aware that a fragile system cannot support long-term growth, no matter how fast it expands initially.
“The real game in finance isn’t a race; it’s about who can last the longest and go the furthest.”
Led by AD, HTX Pay has developed an advanced risk management system. This includes an automated risk control engine, a quick intervention system, and flexible human checks to ensure the platform stays secure, even in the most challenging scenarios.
This is more than a crisis-response mechanism; it’s a fundamental part of the company’s culture. The belief that “risk control comes first” is shared across the entire HTX Pay team—from product, operations, technology, and customer service. AD insists that every new initiative must be carefully vetted for risk. “We won’t go live with anything that doesn’t guarantee our users’ assets are completely safe.”
Building a Solid Base, Winning the Long Game
Even as the crypto industry has evolved at a breakneck pace over the past few years, HTX Pay has maintained a steady and clear rhythm. AD admits his team once faced questions about moving too slowly, but he remained committed to a disciplined pace for system development and business expansion.
He describes HTX Pay’s growth over the last three years as a “standard 40-degree curve” —a steady, upward climb without large spikes or reliance on external events.
This approach is rooted in AD’s strong emphasis on “infrastructure.” He believes that crypto payments cannot be rushed. Success in this field requires significant early investment of time and resources to build a solid foundation across systems, risk control, compliance, and user experience. Only with this groundwork can a business handle the major market demands when the real opportunity arrives.
HTX Pay hit a critical growth point in 2024. “We were right on schedule,” AD says. The company’s overall reputation improved, the external environment stabilized, and the payment business completed key system upgrades.
“This is the inevitable result of a deliberate, long-term strategy, not a lucky coincidence,” AD stated.
For him, the ability to last is more important than being first in the short term.
Building Trustworthy Payment Infrastructure for a Global Audience
AD consistently defines HTX Pay as a human-centered payment infrastructure. It is not a flashy, high-traffic gateway, but a system designed for maximum stability and absolute trust.
According to AD, the key difference between HTX Pay and other platforms lies in three core values: sincerity, simplicity, and practicality. These principles reflect his deep understanding of user needs and guide his product design.
“Users don’t need a showy product,” he explains. “They just want a payment tool they can use, feel confident in using, and trust completely.”
AD is fully committed to HTX’s vision: “to build a financial free port for the metaverse and achieve financial freedom for 8 billion people on Earth.” He believes the payment business is not just about facilitating today’s transactions, but about creating a foundation for the future. He acknowledges that this is a long-term goal—one that will take more than a single team or generation to achieve—but he is confident that building infrastructure is a marathon, not a sprint.
In a fast-changing industry, AD and his team have chosen a challenging but wise path: a commitment to stability, security, user-centricity, and a systems-first mindset. He concludes, “As long as everything we do honors the trust our users place in us, HTX Pay will endure.”
About HTX
Founded in 2013, HTX (formerly Huobi) has evolved from a virtual asset exchange into a comprehensive ecosystem of blockchain businesses that span digital asset trading, financial derivatives, research, investments, incubation, and other businesses.
As a world-leading gateway to Web3, HTX harbors global capabilities that enable it to provide users with safe and reliable services. Adhering to the growth strategy of “Global Expansion, Thriving Ecosystem, Wealth Effect, Security & Compliance,” HTX is dedicated to providing quality services and values to virtual asset enthusiasts worldwide.
To learn more about HTX, please visit https://www.htx.com/ or HTX Square , and follow HTX on X, Telegram, and Discord. For further inquiries, please contact glo-media@htx-inc.com.