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 2, 2019. It functions like a traditional bank CD — you lock up your HEX for a chosen period and earn interest paid in more HEX.
The staking system is built around T-Shares (Time Shares). When you stake, you receive T-Shares proportional to your stake amount and length. Longer stakes earn more T-Shares. The protocol distributes daily payouts to all active stakes based on the total T-Shares in the system.
- Launched: December 2, 2019 (staking active)
- Creator: Richard Heart
- Type: ERC-20 token with built-in staking mechanism
- Yield: Paid daily in HEX, 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 pHEX runs on PulseChain. Both use the exact same smart contract code — the difference is the underlying network.
| Feature | eHEX (Ethereum) | pHEX (PulseChain) |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Identical code | Identical code (forked) |
| Gas token | ETH | PLS |
| Transaction fees | High (often $5–$50+) | Very low (fractions of a cent) |
| Liquidity | Deep, established | Growing on PulseX |
| Actuator support | No | Yes — primary chain |
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 pHEX 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 mid-2026: that is still stated intent rather than demonstrated track record — no post-launch Ethereum upgrade has yet been activated on PulseChain.
- Lower fees: PLS gas costs are a tiny fraction of ETH gas costs
- 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 pHEX 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 directly through the official HEX interface or any PulseChain-compatible wallet.
Connect to the staking interface: Visit go.hex.com and connect your PulseChain-compatible wallet.
Choose your stake length: Select a stake duration from 1 to 5,555 days. Longer stakes earn more T-Shares and higher yields.
Earn daily: Your stake begins earning HEX rewards daily, claimable at any time during the stake or at maturity.
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 an NFT that wraps your HEX stake, making it portable. 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 putting that sword in an envelope. 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
- 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 ERC-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 HEX principal in a delegated HSI
- Maturity date: You choose the redemption date when minting
- Redeemable: Burn HTTs at or after maturity to receive proportional HEX
- 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. Here is the full lifecycle:
Delegate Your HSI
Create a new HSI directly in Actuator or bring an existing one from Hedron, then delegate it to the protocol.
Mint HTTs
Mint HTTs against the extractable value of your delegated stake, choosing a maturity date.
Redeem at Maturity
After the maturity date, burn HTTs to redeem 1:1 for HEX from the underlying stake.
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 (no stake penalty) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between eHEX and pHEX?
eHEX is the original HEX token on the Ethereum blockchain, launched December 2, 2019. pHEX is the same HEX contract deployed on PulseChain after the May 2023 fork. The contract code is identical — the difference is the chain. pHEX benefits from PulseChain's much lower transaction fees, while eHEX operates on Ethereum with higher gas costs.
Do I need to stake HEX to use Actuator?
Yes. Actuator works with Portable HEX Stakes (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. Without a stake in HSI form, there is no value to mint HTTs against.
Can I trade HTTs before they mature?
Yes. HTTs are ERC-20 tokens that trade on PulseX. You can sell them at any time before maturity, provide them as liquidity in HTT/HEX pools to earn ACTR, 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 only controls the HSI (the NFT wrapper around your stake) temporarily. The underlying HEX stays locked exactly as it would in a normal stake. When the stake matures, you can redeem HTTs for HEX and reclaim your HSI.
Is PulseChain safe for HEX staking?
PulseChain is a full fork of Ethereum, meaning its security model and contract execution are identical at the code level — and upgrades reach PulseChain only after they have proven themselves in production on Ethereum. The main differences are the validator set and lower fees. As with any blockchain, do your own research. The HEX contract itself has operated securely since 2020.
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ACTR Contract Address (PulseChain)
0x85DF7cE20A4CE0cF859804b45cB540FFE42074DaAlways verify at docs.actuator.finance before interacting.