1inch moves to unite DeFi liquidity across 13 chains with AquaDecentralized exchange aggregator 1inch announced the launch of its Aqua protocol allowing users to provide liquidity to many protocols at once.
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Decentralized exchange aggregator 1inch has launched Aqua, a new protocol designed to unify liquidity pools across multiple decentralized finance (DeFi) markets. Aqua enables liquidity providers to authorize various trading strategies from a single wallet inventory without moving assets into any specific liquidity pool. Instead, the assets remain in the provider's wallet until a trade settles. The protocol is currently live on 13 blockchains, including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Robinhood Chain, and BNB Chain.
Aqua combines several features such as a generalized on-chain registry, wallet-backed automated market-making strategies, atomic settlement, and user-friendly position management. This setup expands the availability of liquidity since it is not confined to any one protocol. However, assets can only be utilized in one operation at a time to prevent double-spending. For example, while a user might advertise $10,000 across three protocols (totaling $30,000 in advertising), only $10,000 can be used in simultaneous trades. This approach resembles coordinated overbooking and is aimed at better capital utilization in situations where liquidity is unlikely to be called on simultaneously by multiple protocols.
A 1inch spokesperson clarified that only resolvers holding a 1inch-issued access credential can use Aqua, as it does not support all protocols. Additionally, all positions are dynamically quoted against the live wallet balance, and if a swap attempt exceeds the available balance, the transaction is reversed immediately. In support of Aqua’s adoption, the 1inch governance community is expected to approve an incentive allocation of 500,000 USDC alongside 10 million 1INCH tokens (valued at approximately $830,000 at the time of reporting) to encourage liquidity growth and increased swap volume.
This announcement follows recent leadership turbulence within 1inch, with co-founder Anton Bukov stating he was fired in late 2025 after advocating for changes in management and operations. The launch of Aqua and the associated incentive program underline 1inch's continued efforts to innovate and grow liquidity activity across multiple DeFi ecosystems.