Trading bots gain traction as crypto markets move sideways: HTX 2025 recap

The cryptocurrency exchange reported sharp growth in automated trading as volatility narrowed across major crypto assets.

Cryptocurrency traders increasingly leaned on automated strategies in 2025 as volatile but largely range-bound markets made directional bets harder to sustain, according to a year-end recap from HTX.

The Seychelles-based exchange, formerly known as Huobi, said the trend was most visible in the growing use of grid-based trading bots on its spot platform. According to HTX, grid trading volume rose 97% year over year in 2025, while capital allocated to grid strategies doubled.

The increase was especially pronounced in stablecoin pairs, where grid trading volume rose 352% year over year, compared with 122% growth in major cryptocurrencies. HTX said the bots were typically used to capture smaller, repeated price swings rather than to bet on sustained market moves.

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