DEX aggregator 1inch (1INCH) with $500B in volume explains how interoperability is being deployed

With $500 billion in volume and counting, 1inch sat down with crypto.news to explain how interoperability is being deployed

Decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregators play a crucial role in the DeFi ecosystem by aggregating liquidity from multiple DEXs to offer traders the best possible prices and optimal trading conditions.

As these entities aim to bolster prices for consumers by lowering fees and reducing slippage, they are also intending to provide traders with the best possible rates with low latency.

According to recent data from DeFi Llama, total trading value of DEX aggregators has grown to $2.03 billion as of February 2025. It is a sector in crypto that many are eyeing for future growth.

One of these DEX aggregators, 1inch, sat down with crypto.news on the sidelines of Paris Blockchain Week to discuss the challenges and opportunities for DEX aggregators in the current crypto cycle.

One of these DEX aggregators, 1inch, sat down with crypto.news on the sidelines of Paris Blockchain Week to discuss the challenges and opportunities for DEX aggregators in the current crypto cycle.

Founded in May 2019 by Sergej Kunz and Anton Bukov, who met at a hackathon and turned their knack for optimising crypto trades into a DeFi powerhouse, 1inch’s platform now optimises trades across 400+ liquidity sources on 12 blockchains, processing over $500 billion in volume, with zero withdrawal and gas fees offered by its native Chi token.

Speaking with crypto.news at a cafe in Paris on April 16, Kunz explained how the firm is aiming to make the jump from the decentralised finance sector into the crypto space by offering users a seamless cross-chain experience that rivals that of centralised exchanges, with a strong focus in the next quarter on DeFi growth and backing entities like Bitcoin and Solana, better UX, and features that aim to bolster and leverage AI, with the goal of using this to aggregate media into a seamless technological umbrella a new super-powered 1inch.

“It’s getting better and better. I think we will see in a couple of years a seamless experience like in centralized exchanges with the benefits of non-custody and atomic execution,” said Kunz.

In the Wild West of DeFi, Atomic execution refers to the process where a transaction is executed in its entirety or not at all, ensuring no partial completion. This guarantees that all parts of a trade, such as swapping tokens across multiple DEXs, occur simultaneously and are only finalized if all conditions (e.g., price and liquidity) are met, preventing losses from failed or partial trades, including MEV bots that sandwich transactions and extract fees from crypto users.

With 1inch, Kunz explained, new features now allow routes to trade through multiple DEXs to optimise pricing, with atomic execution ensuring the entire swap completes as a single, indivisible transaction on the blockchain. If any part fails (e.g., insufficient liquidity), the transaction reverts, and no funds are exchanged.

As a DEX aggregator, 1inch (1INCH) sources liquidity from multiple DEXs to find the most favorable rates for a single trade. The firm uses a smart contract-based system that enables users to swap between tokens and set their desired price.

“We came to the idea that we have this intent-based protocol to just say what they want to get and how it’s going to be executed is the bread of market makers and market traders,” said Kunz.

“We extended this functionality with cross-chain swaps. And now, we are a cross chain marketplace for all users,” he continued.

The total trading value of DEX aggregators was over $2.03 billion as of February 2025, reflecting their growing role in DeFi, while the market capitalization of DEX aggregator coins was $2.5 billion as on January of this year. Top coins include Jupiter, 1inch, and Cetus Protocol, but others are nipping at the heels of these competitors, given the potential for enormous growth if assets like securities are able to be traded on-chain.

To this end, Kunz says that to standout he has launched Fusion+, an advanced upgrade to 1inch’s Swap Engine. The idea with Fusion+ is to create more efficient cross-chain swaps to get better rates through intent based architecture and bridge less technology. The technology aims to connect user to extensively more Web3 liquidity, but also to protect against front-running attacks like MEV with more security features that gets the best price for Chi users.

So far, Fusion+ has facilitated over $200 million in cross-chain trading volume, Kunz says, noting that since its beta launch last September integrations like ZKsync have boosted overall performance and security.

Today, he says that 1inch is prioritizing cross-chain integration in Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL), with the idea to allow users more interoperability across popular cryptocurrency options. Right now, there are now EVM-compatible