1inch Rolls Out Aqua Liquidity Protocol Across 13 Networks

1inch has taken its Aqua liquidity protocol out of developer preview and into full public release, covering 13 EVM-compatible networks. This move aims to tackle one of DeFi's most persistent structural problems: capital sitting idle across fragmented pools on separate chains.

Aqua operates on a registry-based allowance model, where a liquidity provider registers a wallet balance as backing, supporting multiple simultaneous quoted positions without the assets leaving custody.

The public release covers Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain, Optimism, Polygon, and Robinhood Chain, among seven others. To bootstrap depth across all 13 networks, 1inch is launching a parallel incentives program backed by 10 million 1INCH from the 1inch Foundation and 500,000 USDC from the 1inch DAO.

The size of the package is meaningful, with 10 million 1INCH representing a real incentive floor. However, the distribution mechanism and lockup terms will determine whether it attracts sticky liquidity or mercenary capital that exits once rewards dry up.