@1inch has publicly launched Aqua, its shared liquidity protocol, across 13 EVM-compatible blockchains, including @ethereum, @base, @arbitrum, @avax and @RobinhoodCrypto Chain. The rollout ma
@1inch has publicly launched Aqua, its shared liquidity protocol, across 13 EVM-compatible blockchains, including @ethereum, @base, @arbitrum, @avax and @RobinhoodCrypto Chain. The rollout marks a significant step in the project's effort to address one of DeFi's most persistent structural problems: fragmented capital.
Aqua is a self-custodial shared liquidity layer that enables liquidity providers to use the same wallet balance across multiple positions without locking assets in liquidity pools. Under the traditional model, providers must deposit assets into separate pools, handing over custody and spreading capital thin. With Aqua, tokens such as $ETH and other supported assets remain in the provider's own wallet. When an order is ready to fill, an atomic transaction executes a pull-and-push settlement, moving funds only at the moment they are needed.
Aqua creates a multiplier effect for liquidity by allowing multiple strategies to access a user's balance simultaneously, without requiring funds to be removed from users' wallets and locked in smart contracts. This eliminates the need to split capital across isolated pools or maintain protocol-specific contract deposits.
The inefficiency in the current system is considerable. According to on-chain research by Dune commissioned by 1inch, 85% of concentrated liquidity across major DEXs was underutilised in H1 2026, roughly $1.6 billion of the $1.84 billion tracked, with about $542 million sitting fully out of range in an average week, resulting in an estimated $150 million in fees foregone per year.
To accompany the launch, 1inch has unveiled a Merkl-powered liquidity incentive program for Aqua, funded with 10 million 1INCH by the 1inch Foundation and 500,000 USDC from 1inch DAO.The move may also significantly improve liquidity for smaller projects, which are often at a major disadvantage when competing with legacy DeFi on swap rates.
Following its developer launch in November 2025, Aqua now offers one of the first risk-controlled alternatives to DeFi's traditional pool-based model. The public rollout across 13 chains from day one signals that 1inch is positioning Aqua as infrastructure rather than a single-chain product.
Sources:1inch Aqua Public Launch Press Release via Finanznachrichten1inch Introduces DeFi Shared Liquidity Model Aqua, The Block1inch Unveils Protocol Letting Multiple DeFi Strategies Share the Same Capital, CoinDesk
