When you hear the word Humaniq, you might think it’s the next big thing in crypto - a blockchain project built to give banking to the 1.7 billion people around the world who don’t have access to banks. But here’s the reality: Humaniq (HMQ) is a project that started with big promises, but today, it’s barely alive.
Launched in 2017, Humaniq wasn’t just another altcoin. It claimed to solve a real problem: how do you give financial services to someone who doesn’t have an ID, a bank account, or even a smartphone? Their answer? Use your face or fingerprint. No paperwork. No branch. Just a phone, a biometric scan, and the HMQ token.
What Is Humaniq (HMQ) Actually?
Humaniq is a mobile app built on the Ethereum blockchain that lets users send, receive, and store money using HMQ - its own cryptocurrency. The app uses facial recognition or fingerprint scanning to verify your identity. No passport. No driver’s license. Just you and your phone.
That sounds revolutionary, right? Especially if you live in a rural part of Nigeria, Kenya, or India, where banks are miles away and paperwork is a nightmare. Humaniq said it would let people earn HMQ by doing small tasks - like identifying photos, translating text, or tagging locations. Those tasks would pay in crypto, and users could then use HMQ to pay for goods, send money to family, or even get microloans.
But here’s the catch: Humaniq doesn’t work unless you have a smartphone with a camera and a fingerprint sensor. And you need internet. And you need to understand how to download an app, set up a wallet, and trust a blockchain you’ve never heard of. For many people in the unbanked communities it targets, that’s a huge barrier.
How Does HMQ Work?
HMQ is an ERC-20 token. That means it runs on the Ethereum network, just like Chainlink, Uniswap, or Polygon. You can’t mine it. You can’t earn it by staking. You get it by buying it - or by doing tasks inside the Humaniq app.
The app itself was designed to be simple. You open it, scan your face, and boom - you’re in. You can send HMQ to another user just by entering their phone number. No wallet address. No QR code. It’s like WhatsApp for money, but on blockchain.
There’s also a feature called "HMQ Rewards" - where users complete microtasks to earn tokens. For example, identifying a photo of a product in a market, or tagging a location on a map. Sounds harmless. But how much do you actually earn? No one knows. There are no public records of payouts. No user testimonials. No screenshots of people cashing out.
And here’s the kicker: Humaniq says it uses a "fourth-generation Ethereum blockchain." That’s not a real technical term. Ethereum doesn’t have generations. This sounds like marketing fluff to make the project seem more advanced than it is.
Current Market Status of HMQ
As of February 2026, HMQ trades at $0.002751. That’s less than a third of a cent. Its total market cap? Just $570,000. For comparison, Bitcoin’s market cap is over $1 trillion. Even small, forgotten coins like Shiba Inu have a market cap 10,000 times bigger.
The 24-hour trading volume? $275. That’s less than what you’d spend on coffee in Auckland. That means almost nobody is buying or selling HMQ. If you wanted to cash out right now, you’d struggle to find a buyer. Most exchanges - Binance, Coinbase, Kraken - don’t list HMQ at all. The only places you can trade it are tiny, unknown platforms that no one trusts.
And the price? It hasn’t moved in months. Up 0.0% in 24 hours. That’s not a stablecoin. That’s a dead coin.
Why Humaniq Failed
Let’s be honest: Humaniq had a good idea. But good ideas don’t win in crypto. Execution does.
First, they targeted the unbanked - but ignored the biggest barrier: smartphones. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only 48% of adults own a smartphone. In rural India? Even lower. You can’t build a mobile banking app for people who use flip phones.
Second, they didn’t partner with anyone. No telecoms. No NGOs. No local governments. Compare that to M-Pesa - the mobile money system in Kenya that serves over 50 million people. M-Pesa works because it’s tied to Safaricom, the country’s biggest phone company. Humaniq? No partnerships. Just an app on a server.
Third, no one knows if the app even works. There are zero reviews on Trustpilot. No Reddit threads. No YouTube tutorials. No users saying, "I earned HMQ and bought food with it." If a project this big had real users, we’d hear about it. We don’t.
And then there’s the silence. No GitHub updates. No blog posts. No team announcements. The last official update from Humaniq was in 2019. Since then? Radio silence. In crypto, if you’re not building, you’re dying.
Who’s Competing? And Who’s Winning?
Humaniq isn’t alone in trying to bank the unbanked. But it’s losing badly.
- Celo - a blockchain built for mobile users. Works on low-end Android phones. Has 3 million active users. Listed on Coinbase.
- Stellar (XLM) - used by nonprofits and banks to send money across borders. Market cap: $3 billion.
- Worldcoin - uses iris scans (not facial recognition) to verify identity. Raised $100 million. Backed by Sam Altman.
These projects have real users, real partnerships, and real traction. Humaniq? It’s a ghost.
Is HMQ Worth Buying?
If you’re thinking of buying HMQ as an investment - don’t.
You’re not buying a coin. You’re buying a graveyard. With a $570,000 market cap and $275 in daily trading, there’s no liquidity. No volume. No chance of a price pump. Even if the team woke up tomorrow and launched a new version, it would take years to rebuild trust - and no one believes they will.
And if you’re hoping to use it to send money to family in a developing country? Forget it. You can’t convert HMQ to cash in most places. No ATMs. No exchanges. No merchants accept it.
This isn’t a crypto project. It’s a cautionary tale.
Final Thoughts
Humaniq (HMQ) started with a noble goal: to give financial freedom to the world’s poorest. But it failed because it ignored reality. It assumed everyone had smartphones. It assumed people would trust a blockchain app with no track record. It assumed a small team in a city could solve a problem that took decades for companies like M-Pesa to crack.
Today, HMQ is a zombie token - barely trading, barely known, barely alive. The app still exists. The website still loads. But the project? It’s over.
If you’re looking for crypto that helps the unbanked, look at Celo or Stellar. They’re real. They’re growing. They’re working.
Humaniq? It’s a reminder that in crypto, good intentions don’t matter - if you don’t deliver.
Is Humaniq (HMQ) still active?
No, Humaniq is not meaningfully active. The last official updates were in 2019. There are no recent GitHub commits, no team announcements, no exchange listings, and no user activity. The app still exists, but it’s essentially abandoned.
Can I buy HMQ on Binance or Coinbase?
No, HMQ is not listed on any major exchange like Binance, Coinbase, or Kraken. It only trades on a few tiny, obscure platforms with almost no liquidity. Buying it is risky and often pointless.
Is Humaniq a scam?
There’s no proof Humaniq was a scam. The team didn’t disappear with funds. But the project has failed. It made big claims, delivered almost nothing, and stopped updating years ago. In crypto, a project that stops building is effectively dead - whether it was a scam or not.
How do I get HMQ tokens?
You can only get HMQ by buying it on small, unsupported exchanges - or by completing tasks in the Humaniq app. But task rewards are unverified, and the app’s functionality is unclear. There’s no reliable way to earn or use HMQ today.
Why did Humaniq fail when M-Pesa succeeded?
M-Pesa worked because it didn’t try to be high-tech. It used basic SMS, partnered with mobile carriers, and focused on simplicity. Humaniq tried to use blockchain and biometrics in places where people didn’t have smartphones or internet. It overcomplicated a simple problem.
Is there any value in holding HMQ?
No. With a market cap under $1 million and zero trading volume, HMQ has no liquidity or future potential. Holding it won’t make you money. It’s not an investment - it’s a relic.
