1inch opens Aqua liquidity protocol across 13 chains

Decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator 1inch opened Aqua, its shared liquidity protocol, to users across 13 Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible chains.

Aqua lets liquidity providers use the same wallet balance across multiple positions instead of splitting their assets among separate pools, with tokens remaining in the provider’s wallet until a matching swap executes.

The protocol allows “tokens to stay in your wallet, under your control, while one balance backs multiple positions across different strategies rather than being split between smart contract deposits,” 1inch co-founder Sergej Kunz told CoinDesk.

A $100,000 balance could support three positions quoting a combined $300,000, according to 1inch. That is quoted liquidity rather than additional capital, and orders can only execute against assets held in the wallet, and a swap fails if the balance cannot cover it.

1inch first unveiled Aqua last year, including its software development kit, libraries and documentation. The public interface lets users create full-range, concentrated or pegged positions across chains including Ethereum, Base, BNB Chain, Arbitrum and Robinhood Chain.

The rollout follows research commissioned by 1inch that found 85% of $1.84 billion tracked across major concentrated-liquidity exchanges was underutilized in the first half of 2026.

Roughly $542 million sat fully outside active trading ranges in an average week, missing an estimated $150 million in annual fees.

1inch said Aqua underwent eight independent security audits. Liquidity providers still face price movements, impermanent loss and smart-contract risk.

The launch includes a liquidity incentive program distributed through Merkl, with the 1inch Foundation committing 10 million 1INCH and the 1inch DAO adding $500,000 in USDC over three months, according to an announcement shared with CoinDesk.

At current prices the token portion is worth roughly $870,000, putting the combined program around $1.37 million.