1inch Unveils 'Aqua' Shared Liquidity Layer for DeFi

1inch has launched 'Aqua', a shared liquidity layer for decentralized finance (DeFi) that lets users deploy the same wallet balance across multiple positions without surrendering custody. This new approach aims to rethink how liquidity is supplied in DeFi by addressing the structural bottleneck and friction point of pool-based models.

Aqua was first introduced to developers in November 2025, but it's now available to the public as a self-custodial liquidity system operating across 13 EVM-compatible networks. To accelerate early activity, the 1inch Foundation is allocating 10 million 1inch (1INCH) tokens for liquidity-provider incentives.

The core idea behind Aqua is a ledger-style approach where user funds remain in their wallet until a trade that matches their position parameters is executed. This design allows participants to connect a wallet, approve the tokens to be used, and then create liquidity positions tied to specific conditions. Aqua tracks balances and, when an eligible swap arrives, pulls the required tokens directly from the wallet, returning received tokens and fees in a single atomic transaction.

According to 1inch co-founder Sergej Kunz, 'The liquidity provision market was broken, but the scale of the problem only becomes clear when an alternative appears, and today that alternative arrived.' He emphasized that Aqua is built so providers can broaden their quoting activity without giving up custody, with tokens staying in the wallet until the moment a swap is filled.