1inch launches Aqua liquidity protocol across 13 chains
DeFi & Yields ·
The self-custodial system lets liquidity providers back several trading positions from one wallet balance instead of splitting funds across pools.
1inch has opened public access to Aqua, a shared liquidity layer that lets users support multiple decentralized exchange positions using a single token balance, according to 1inch's announcement. The protocol, previously released to developers last November, is now live for all users at 1inch.com/aqua and spans 13 EVM networks, including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Robinhood Chain and BNB Chain.
Aqua is built to address what 1inch describes as chronic inefficiency in DeFi liquidity provision, where tokens deposited into pools often sit outside active price ranges, earn no fees, and still expose holders to market risk. Under the new model, users connect a wallet and approve a token balance, then create positions — full range, concentrated or pegged — that draw on that balance only when a swap actually matches the position's terms. Funds never leave the wallet unless a trade fills, and the system executes the pull, swap and fee return in one atomic transaction, which 1inch says also shields liquidity providers from just-in-time fee-skimming attacks.
Because exposure is capped by what a wallet actually holds rather than the combined size of every position a user opens, the same balance can theoretically stand behind many simultaneous positions instead of being fragmented across separate pools and pairs. Users retain the ability to open and close positions with no lock-up period, according to the launch post.
The rollout has drawn coverage describing Aqua as a shared liquidity layer for DeFi aggregation across the 13 supported chains, with Decrypt and The Block both reporting on the public go-live. Separate accounts of the launch have also referenced a 10 million 1INCH token incentive program tied to the protocol, though the terms and distribution mechanics of that program are not detailed in 1inch's own blog post.
What remains unclear is how Aqua's capital-efficiency claims will hold up under real trading volume, how the incentive program will be structured and rolled out, and whether liquidity providers will shift meaningful balances away from traditional pooled models now that the tool is broadly available across all 13 chains.