1inch opens Aqua liquidity protocol across 13 chains

1inch, a decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator, has expanded its Aqua shared liquidity protocol to 13 Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible chains, including Ethereum, Base, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, and Robinhood Chain. Aqua enables liquidity providers to use a single wallet balance to back multiple liquidity positions simultaneously without dividing their assets across separate pools. The tokens remain in the user's wallet and are only used when a matched swap executes, allowing greater capital efficiency.

According to 1inch co-founder Sergej Kunz, a single balance—for example, $100,000—can support several positions quoting a combined value much higher than the wallet balance, such as $300,000. However, this quoted liquidity does not represent additional capital, and any swap will fail if the actual wallet balance does not cover the transaction amount. This model allows tokens to stay under the user's control while supporting multiple strategic positions.

The launch follows research conducted by 1inch revealing that approximately 85% of the $1.84 billion tracked across major concentrated-liquidity exchanges was underutilized during the first half of 2026, with roughly $542 million outside active trading ranges and missing an estimated $150 million in annual fees due to inactivity. To encourage participation, the launch includes a $1.37 million liquidity incentive program, with the 1inch Foundation committing 10 million 1INCH tokens (valued at about $870,000) and the 1inch DAO contributing $500,000 in USDC over three months.

1inch has subjected Aqua to eight independent security audits, but notes that liquidity providers still face typical risks such as price movements, impermanent loss, and smart-contract vulnerabilities. The rollout also provides users with a public interface and full developer resources like SDKs and libraries, facilitating the creation of full-range, concentrated, or pegged liquidity positions across multiple chains.