Huma Finance (HUMA) is the native utility and governance token of the Huma Protocol, a decentralised finance (DeFi) infrastructure designed to support the emerging PayFi (Payment Finance) ecosystem. The protocol facilitates real-time, 24/7 global payment settlements using stablecoins and on-chain liquidity, aiming to modernise traditional financial systems.

The Huma Protocol operates in two formats:

• Huma (Permissionless): Launched in April 2025, this version is open to all users, allowing retail investors to participate in Huma pools and engage with the PayFi ecosystem.

• Huma Institutional: A permissioned service tailored for institutional investors, providing access to curated, receivables-backed credit opportunities within a regulated framework.

The HUMA token serves multiple functions within the Huma ecosystem:

• Governance: HUMA holders can stake their tokens to participate in protocol governance. The duration of the stake influences voting power, encouraging long-term alignment with the protocol. Stakers can vote on key decisions, including the allocation of liquidity and ecosystem incentives, adjustments to protocol parameters, and the distribution of protocol incentives.

• Liquidity Provision and Ecosystem Rewards: The token plays a pivotal role in incentivising liquidity providers and fostering adoption across the Huma protocol ecosystem. Participants can earn rewards for providing liquidity and engaging with the platform.

• Value Accrual Mechanisms: Huma employs a deflationary mechanism where 50% of borrower fees are used to buy back and burn HUMA tokens, reducing the total supply and potentially increasing the token's value over time.

• Ecosystem Currency: HUMA is used as the medium of exchange within the Huma ecosystem, facilitating transactions and access to various protocol features.

Huma Finance was co-founded in 2022 by Erbil Karaman and Richard Liu, both of whom have extensive experience in technology and finance. Karaman previously held product leadership roles at companies like Facebook, Lyft, and Earnin, while Liu has a background in engineering and venture capital.

The founding team also includes Ji Peng and Lei Du, who bring expertise from Silicon Valley and were part of the ETHDenver 2022 hackathon win that contributed to Huma's inception.

Patrick F. Campos joined the team as Chief Business Officer in February 2025, bringing experience in finance, blockchain, and regulation.

Huma Finance has received backing from prominent industry players, including Solana, Circle, Stellar Development Foundation, and Galaxy Digital.