XT Exchange Launches First Centralized Hyperliquid Smart Money Copy Trading

XT Exchange has launched native Hyperliquid Smart Money Copy Trading, becoming the first centralized platform to integrate on-chain perpetual trading signals directly into its interface. For fintech professionals, this bridges the gap between decentralized finance (DeFi) performance and centralized exchange convenience, removing the technical barriers of self-custody and asset bridging for retail users.

What was announced

The new product, Hyperliquid Smart Money Copy Trading, allows eligible verified users to discover, evaluate, and automatically replicate the strategies of top-performing traders on the Hyperliquid network. While Hyperliquid has established itself as a primary venue for on-chain perpetual trading, its public leaderboards have historically served as a signal that was difficult for non-technical users to execute. Previously, acting on these signals required managing self-custodied Web3 wallets, transferring assets across various networks, and interacting directly with complex on-chain protocols.

XT Exchange has moved this entire process into a centralized exchange (CEX) environment. The integration enables automated execution directly from a user’s XT account, requiring no Web3 wallet, no asset bridging, and no direct smart-contract interaction. This workflow is designed to mirror the familiar experience of traditional copy trading while tapping into the high-transparency environment of on-chain data. The product is now available through the XT Futures Copy Trading marketplace, though availability is subject to regional regulations and account status.

This launch expands XT’s existing suite of automated trading tools, which already includes products like Futures Insurance and various automated strategy bots. By integrating Hyperliquid, XT is extending its reach beyond its own internal markets, offering its 12 million registered users access to a specific category of on-chain activity that has remained largely siloed from the centralized exchange ecosystem until now.

"The most interesting trading talent of this cycle is proving itself in public, on-chain — everyone can watch those track records, but almost no one can act on them," said Arman Achmed, COO of XT Exchange. "Today, XT is the only exchange in the world where you can put that smart money to work directly from your account. That is what XT is: an exchange that innovates ahead of the industry and moves first where others hesitate. We are building the trading infrastructure of the next cycle — one designed around the trader from the ground up."

Arman Achmed, COO of XT Exchange.

The companies involved

XT Exchange, also known as XT.COM Exchange, was founded in 2018 and has grown into a significant global digital asset platform. It currently serves over 12 million registered users across more than 200 countries and regions, with a total ecosystem reach estimated at 40 million. The platform supports a vast array of assets, including more than 1,300 tokens and 1,300 trading pairs. Its service offering spans spot, margin, and futures trading, alongside a marketplace for Real World Assets (RWA). The company operates under the vision "Xplore Crypto, Trade with Trust," focusing on providing an intuitive experience for both retail and professional traders.

Hyperliquid is a decentralized perpetual exchange that has emerged as a leading venue for on-chain trading. It is characterized by its high-performance infrastructure and transparent public leaderboards, which track the real-time performance of individual traders. Unlike centralized exchanges, Hyperliquid operates as an on-chain protocol, which typically requires users to interact via decentralized wallets and manage their own private keys. The integration with XT represents a rare instance of a CEX providing a direct, custodial gateway to these specific on-chain trading strategies.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely monitored the rapid institutionalization and infrastructure expansion of the Hyperliquid ecosystem throughout 2026. In August, we reported on Gold-i Boosts Institutional Crypto Trading with Hyperliquid Node Integration for MatrixNET, which provided critical connectivity for professional trading firms. This followed the news that Reap Launches Direct USDC Funding via Hyperliquid to Streamline Corporate Treasury, a move that highlighted the network's growing utility for corporate finance. More recently, the ecosystem's maturity was signaled when AMINA Bank Launches Trading and Custody for Hyperliquid’s HYPE Token, bringing traditional banking support to the network. Additionally, we covered how Valantis and Pendle Partner to Launch Open Marketplace for Hyperliquid Trading Fee Discounts, demonstrating the development of secondary markets around the protocol's trading activity.

What this means

This announcement signals a significant shift in the competitive landscape for centralized exchanges. For years, CEXs have operated as "walled gardens," where copy trading was limited to the talent within their own user base. By reaching out to capture on-chain signals from Hyperliquid, XT Exchange is effectively commoditizing DeFi alpha for the mass market. This puts immediate pressure on other major exchanges to move beyond internal liquidity pools and offer similar cross-platform integrations. The move also raises critical questions about execution parity; as more centralized capital chases on-chain "smart money," the industry must address how slippage and execution timing will impact the performance of followers compared to the lead traders on-chain.