1inch launches Aqua, its shared DeFi liquidity layer

1inch opened Aqua to all users on July 28, 2026 across 13 EVM chains, eight months after a developer-only release in November. The launch covers Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain and Robinhood Chain.

Aqua uses a registry model rather than automated market maker pools. Providers approve a token balance in their wallet and create positions that draw on that approved balance. Tokens are not deposited into a contract; when a swap matches a position’s terms, the protocol pulls the required tokens and returns proceeds and fees in a single atomic transaction. Approvals are set per token and per chain and can be revoked by the provider.

Every swap must be executed by a “verified counterparty,” defined by 1inch as a market maker or arbitrage bot that has passed the platform’s verification checks. The verification is enforced on-chain at swap time. The company described Aqua as “the first risk-controlled liquidity venue” and framed it as part of a shift toward “risk-controlled and regulated DeFi.”

1inch provided an example to explain exposure limits: a $100,000 approved balance could support three positions that together quote $300,000, but a swap can only execute against tokens actually in the wallet, so exposure is capped by holdings rather than by the combined quoted size. The firm estimated the single-owner structure of positions makes just-in-time fee skimming costly, putting the potential cost of such attacks at as much as 44% of provider fee income.

The 1inch Foundation allocated 10 million 1INCH for provider rewards tied to the launch, and the 1inch DAO committed 500,000 USDC to be distributed through Merkl. Aqua underwent eight independent audits from firms including OpenZeppelin, Nethermind, Hexens and Bailsec prior to the public rollout.

1inch cautioned that Aqua is designed for experienced users and listed specific risks: fees are not guaranteed, quoted prices can move against positions, and providers carry both market and smart contract risk. The company wrote that Aqua could change how capital and yield strategies operate in decentralized finance by providing deeper liquidity and reducing fragmentation.

On social media, 1inch invited liquidity providers with the message: “Liquidity providers: it’s time to wake up. Use 1inch Aqua to find more activity in more markets, without letting your tokens out of your wallet.”