HEX on PulseChain Explained
Staking, HSI, HTTs & Actuator Guide
Everything you need to know about HEX on PulseChain — from the basics of staking to advanced liquidity strategies using Actuator.Finance.
What is HEX?
HEX is a blockchain-based certificate of deposit (CD) token, created by Richard Heart and launched December 3, 2019 UTC (the evening of December 2 in US Eastern time): you lock up your HEX for a chosen period and earn interest paid in more HEX, much like a bank CD.
The staking system is built around T-Shares (Trillion Shares). When you stake, you receive T-Shares based on your stake amount and length. Longer stakes earn more T-Shares, up to 3,641 days. The protocol distributes daily payouts to all active stakes based on the total T-Shares in the system.
- Launched: December 3, 2019 UTC (the evening of December 2 in US Eastern time; staking active)
- Creator: Richard Heart
- Type: ERC-20 token with built-in staking mechanism
- Yield: Accrues daily in HEX and is paid when the stake is ended, generated by the protocol itself (no external revenue needed)
- Stake lengths: 1 to 5,555 days
eHEX vs pHEX: Same Contract, Different Chains
HEX exists on two blockchains. The original eHEX runs on Ethereum, while on PulseChain it is simply HEX — "pHEX" is the community's shorthand, not the token's name; the original is the one that takes a prefix. Both use the exact same smart contract code — the difference is the underlying network.
| Feature | eHEX (Ethereum) | HEX (PulseChain) |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Identical code | Identical code (forked) |
| Gas token | ETH | PLS |
| Transaction fees | Higher (cents to a dollar a transaction, October 2026) | Very low (fractions of a cent) |
| Liquidity | Deep, established | Growing on PulseX |
| Actuator support | No | Yes — PulseChain only |
The PulseChain Fork (May 2023)
PulseChain launched in May 2023 as a full hard fork of Ethereum. This means it copied the entire Ethereum state — every account, every token balance, every smart contract — at the moment of the fork. If you held HEX on Ethereum, you received an equivalent balance of HEX on PulseChain. And the fork was not a one-time copy: Ethereum's upgrades are developed in parallel, and PulseChain implements each one only after verifying it succeeded in production on Ethereum. The honest asterisk, as of October 2026: that is still stated intent rather than demonstrated track record — no post-launch Ethereum upgrade has yet been activated on PulseChain.
- Ethereum state copy: All ERC-20 tokens, including HEX, were duplicated on PulseChain
- PLS gas token: PulseChain uses PLS (not ETH) for transaction fees
- PulseX DEX: The primary decentralized exchange on PulseChain for trading HEX and HTTs
How to Stake HEX on PulseChain
Staking HEX on PulseChain follows the same process as on Ethereum, but with far lower fees. You can stake through the official HEX app (linked from go.hex.com) or a community HEX frontend, signing with a PulseChain-compatible wallet.
Get HEX: HEX on PulseChain comes from a PulseX swap, or from ETH, USDC or another coin brought through one of the doors on the Bridges page and swapped for HEX on PulseChain. eHEX sent over the official bridge arrives as a different token, “HEX from Ethereum” (its ticker also reads HEX), which trades in its own pools at its own price and cannot be staked; it becomes PulseChain’s HEX only by a swap. The stakeable HEX is 0x2b591e99afE9f32eAA6214f7B7629768c40Eeb39; the bridged “HEX from Ethereum” is 0x57fde0a71132198bbec939b98976993d8d89d225.
Connect to the staking interface: Visit go.hex.com, a page of links; its “Launch HEX” image opens the HEX app, which connects your wallet while it is set to PulseChain.
Choose your stake length: Select a stake duration from 1 to 5,555 days. Longer stakes earn more T-Shares up to 3,641 days, where the Longer Pays Better bonus stops growing; past that, a longer stake earns the same T-Shares for more paid days.
Earn daily: Your stake begins accruing HEX yield daily. The yield is paid out only when the stake ends — there is no mid-stake claim in the HEX contract.
Ending the stake: A stake does not end by itself: the owner ends it, and only then do principal and yield return to the wallet. The contract allows 14 days of grace after the last served day; after that a late penalty grows each day and reaches the whole stake 700 days later. Ending before the term is served costs an Early End Stake penalty.
For wallet recommendations, see our Wallets guide. For security best practices, see our Security page.
What is an HSI (HEX Stake Instance)?
A HEX Stake Instance (HSI) is a small contract of its own, created through Hedron’s HEX Stake Instance Manager, that holds exactly one HEX stake, which makes the stake portable. It is an NFT only once its owner tokenizes it. Normally, a HEX stake is locked in place — you cannot transfer it or use it in other protocols. The Hedron protocol created HSIs to solve this.
Analogy: A native HEX stake is like a sword stuck in a rock — fixed in place until maturity. An HSI is like a sword sealed in an envelope as the stake starts. The sword (your HEX) stays locked, but now the whole package is movable — you can transfer it, delegate it, or use it in DeFi.
- Created as an HSI: the stake is born portable — created as a self-contained HSI contract from the start (a design Hedron developed); an existing native stake can't be converted later
- Portable: The HSI can be transferred between wallets — as an NFT once tokenized, or by Hedron’s liquidation auction if a HDRN loan against it defaults
- Delegatable: HSI owners can delegate the HSI to protocols like Actuator
- Non-custodial: The underlying HEX never leaves the HEX contract
What are HTTs (HEX Time Tokens)?
HEX Time Tokens (HTTs) are PRC-20 tokens minted from HSIs via the Actuator protocol. Each HTT represents a claim on a specific amount of HEX, redeemable at a chosen maturity date. They are fungible — all HTTs maturing on the same day are identical and interchangeable.
- 1:1 backing: Each HTT is backed by the extractable value of a delegated HSI: its principal plus the yield counted up to its reserve day
- Maturity date: You choose the redemption date when minting
- Redeemable: Burn HTTs at or after maturity to receive HEX one for one
- Tradable: HTTs trade freely on PulseX before maturity
How Actuator Works
Actuator.Finance lets you unlock liquidity from your long-term HEX stakes without ending them early:
Delegate Your HSI
Create a new HSI directly in Actuator (it is created already delegated), or delegate an HSI you already own from Hedron.
Mint HTTs
Mint HTTs against the extractable value of your delegated stake, choosing a maturity date.
Redeem at Maturity
On or after the maturity date, burn HTTs to redeem 1:1 for HEX from the HTT holders’ pool, which is filled when the backing stakes are ended.
Learn more on our How It Works page, or browse terms in our Glossary.
Traditional HEX Staking vs Actuator HTTs
| Feature | Traditional HEX Staking | Actuator HTTs |
|---|---|---|
| Liquidity | Illiquid — locked until maturity (or pay penalty) | Liquid — trade HTTs anytime on PulseX |
| Yield | Daily HEX payouts from T-Shares | Stake yield + optional ACTR farming rewards |
| Risk | HEX contract risk only | HEX + HSI + Actuator + PulseX contract risk |
| Complexity | Low — stake and wait | Higher — delegate, mint, manage HTTs |
| Early exit | Early end stake with penalty | Sell HTTs on PulseX; the stake stays locked to its end day (no penalty, unless the HTTs’ redemption day is before the stake’s end day: from that day anyone may end the stake early unless the HTTs are retired first) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between eHEX and pHEX?
eHEX is the original HEX on Ethereum, launched December 3, 2019 UTC (the evening of December 2 in US Eastern time). "pHEX" is the community's word for HEX on PulseChain — the same contract, running on PulseChain since the May 2023 fork. There is no separate pHEX token: PulseChain's HEX is simply HEX, and the original is the one that wears a prefix (eHEX). The code is identical — the difference is the chain. HEX on PulseChain benefits from much lower transaction fees, while eHEX operates on Ethereum with higher gas costs.
Do I need to stake HEX to use Actuator?
Only if you want to mint HTTs. Minting works with HEX Stake Instances (HSIs): create a new stake through Actuator — it is born as a delegated HSI — or delegate an HSI you already own. A plain native stake can’t be converted into an HSI. Buyers skip the stake entirely: discounted HTTs trade on PulseX, and ACTR can be bought and vaulted, no stake required for either.
Can I trade HTTs before they mature?
Yes. HTTs are PRC-20 tokens that trade on PulseX. You can sell them at any time before maturity, pair HTT-4000, -5000, -6000, -7000 or -8000 with HEX and deposit the LP tokens in the matching Actuator farm to earn ACTR until October 9, 2027, or simply hold them until the maturity date to redeem 1:1 for HEX.
What happens to my HEX stake when I use Actuator?
Your HEX never leaves the HEX contract. Actuator’s manager contract holds the delegated HSI (the small contract that holds your stake; not an NFT while delegated). The underlying HEX stays locked exactly as it would in a normal stake. Retiring every HTT minted against the HSI before the redemption day lets you revoke the delegation, which mints a new HSI NFT to your wallet. Otherwise the stake is ended, by you once it is fully served or by anyone from the redemption day, and the HSI ends with it: whoever ends the stake receives the bounty, the HTT holders’ pool receives the HEX tokens for user redemption, and the remaining HEX is paid to the stake owner’s wallet.
Is PulseChain safe for HEX staking?
PulseChain is a full-state fork of Ethereum, so the HEX contract runs the same code — and upgrades reach PulseChain only after they have proven themselves in production on Ethereum. The main differences are the validator set, which is PulseChain's own and smaller, and lower fees. The HEX contract itself has operated securely since December 2019.
Explore More
ACTR Contract Address (PulseChain)
0x85DF7cE20A4CE0cF859804b45cB540FFE42074DaActuator lists the same address on its own contracts page: docs.actuator.finance/contracts.