What is Hedera (HBAR)?
Hedera (HBAR) fact sheet with live price · reviewed November 4, 2026
Hedera is a public network for payments, tokens and smart contracts that uses "hashgraph" technology instead of a traditional blockchain. It's governed by a council of large organizations, such as Google and IBM, rather than by miners or token votes. Its coin, HBAR, pays fees and is staked; all 50 billion HBAR were created at launch.
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Key facts
| Launched | 2018 (open to the public September 2019) |
|---|---|
| Created by | Leemon Baird and Mance Harmon |
| Governed by | The Hedera Council: about 30 large companies and universities |
| How it's secured | Hashgraph consensus with proof of stake |
| Maximum supply | 50 billion HBAR, all created at launch and released from a treasury over time |
| Fees | Fixed in US-dollar terms, e.g. about $0.0001 for an HBAR transfer |
| Code | Open source, donated to the Linux Foundation as "Hiero" in 2024 |
Who runs it
The Hedera Council (renamed from the Hedera Governing Council in 2025) of roughly 30 organizations runs the network's nodes and decides on upgrades and treasury spending. The independent Hedera Foundation funds ecosystem projects, and the software is maintained as the open-source Hiero project.
What it's used for
Business uses that want predictable, tiny fees: timestamping records (the Consensus Service), issuing tokens and stablecoins, supply-chain tracking, carbon credits and tokenized assets. HBAR also pays for Ethereum-compatible smart contracts.
How it works
Nodes "gossip" about transactions they've seen and about who told them, building a graph of events (the hashgraph). From that, each node can work out the order of transactions and reach agreement in a few seconds. HBAR holders can stake to nodes to earn rewards without locking coins.
Where things stand (November 2026)
Hedera's governance and code have been moving toward more independence: the codebase went to the Linux Foundation in 2024, and the council and foundation were restructured in 2025. A US spot HBAR exchange-traded fund launched in October 2025.
Risks to know
- Governance is controlled by a council of companies, so it's less decentralized than many networks.
- A large share of HBAR is still released from the treasury over time.
- Business partnerships don't guarantee real use or demand for HBAR.
- Price is volatile.
Buying and storing it
If you decide to buy, use a regulated exchange you reach directly, check fees with the true cost calculator, and store long-term holdings in a wallet you control, with the seed phrase written down offline. Read how to buy crypto safely. This page isn't a recommendation to buy.
Questions
Is Hedera a blockchain?
Not technically. It uses a hashgraph, a different data structure, but it serves the same purpose and is usually grouped with blockchains.
Who owns Hedera?
No single company. It's governed by the Hedera Council of about 30 organizations.
Can I stake HBAR?
Yes, from most HBAR wallets, without locking your coins.
Where to next
Sources
- Hedera documentation
- A new era for Hedera (hedera.com, May 2025)
- Hedera fee schedule (docs.hedera.com)
- Hedera (Wikipedia)
Facts checked against the sources listed, as of November 4, 2026. Live price data by CoinGecko. Educational only; not financial advice. How we write and check pages.