Justin Sun says HTX and Poloniex will offer ‘epic airdrop’ following exchange hacks

Justin Sun, a top representative for the crypto exchanges HTX and Poloniex, announced plans to reward users and cover losses on Nov. 24.

In a statement on X, Sun wrote:

“As HTX and Poloniex approach opening deposit and withdrawal, we will initiate an epic airdrop for users with assets. Please stay tuned! My deepest apologies to the users affected by the hacker attacks on HTX and Poloniex. We will cover the loss and all assets are are SAFE.”

HTX confirmed the airdrop and provided further details. It wrote that airdrop amounts will be based on a snapshot of users’ 30-day average asset balance in USDT — referred to by the company as “Rockets.” The exchange added that users who hold assets related to the company such as HTX Token (HT) and Tron (TRX), as well as users holding Bitcoin (BTC) and (ETH), will have their Rocket values multiplied.

HTX did not reveal which cryptocurrency the airdrop will distribute but said that the offer will involve a premium asset that it will soon list.

The announcement says that the airdrop is meant to “express … gratitude for your ongoing support,” meaning that the airdrop is an additional distribution intended to reward customers who did not withdraw their balances throughout the incident. It is unclear whether HTX must directly compensate any user account balances.

TRX access and various deposits restored

HTX and Poloniex were targeted in two attacks in November. Poloniex lost $120 million on Nov. 10; it plans to reopen deposits and withdrawals on Nov. 30.

HTX lost an estimated $13.6 million in an Nov. 22 attack. It said at the time that it intended to restore withdrawals and operations within 24 hours.

The exchange appears to have only partially accomplished this, as Sun said in another statement HTX has resumed Tron (TRX) deposits and withdrawals.

HTX confirmed that statement, adding that it has reopened deposits for select cryptocurrencies on the Ethereum and Tron blockchains including its own HT and HUSD tokens, several major stablecoins, and numerous other assets.