Hotbit is not that safe exchange anymore comparing to 2016 when I was new in crypto and this is one of the popular exchange.
I also do not consider Hotbit a safe exchange. Yes, you can deposit money, buy any low cap coin which is not listed on big exchanges and move the coin/funds out of the exchange. Do not keep your coins and money in hotbit exchange for the long term. The exchange is not a scam at the moment but I stopped trusting the small exchanges after the hack/scam from cryptopia exchange where I lost too much money.
We need to remain safe and never trust too much on exchanges.