Latest 1inch (1INCH) News Update

By CMC AI
18 July 2026 09:53AM (UTC+0)

What are people saying about 1INCH?

TLDR

The 1INCH conversation is a mix of operational resilience and price disappointment, overshadowed by a major leadership shake-up. Here’s what’s trending:

  1. The project's co-founder was fired and is launching a rival venture, sparking debate about the team's direction.

  2. The protocol is pushing forward with a major technical upgrade, Aqua, aiming to turn every wallet into a liquidity pool.

  3. Despite these developments, the token's price languishes near historic lows, leaving traders and holders frustrated.

Deep Dive

1. @degenrsc: Co-founder fired, launches rival project bearish

"1inch could’ve been what $near has become. A true crosschain intent centric swap... The only way this could be explained is lack of ambition, hustle and sloppiness" – @degenrsc (4.2K followers · 3 March 2026 17:13 UTC) View original post What this means: This is bearish for 1INCH because it highlights internal discord and a perceived failure to execute on its potential, which could erode community and investor confidence in the project's leadership and vision.

2. @1inch: Announces Aqua protocol for wallet-native liquidity bullish

"A good read on the market means nothing if your execution is off. Custom slippage, routing preview up to 100 limit orders across 12 chains - 1inch Trade mode was built for the details." – @1inch (1.3M followers · 31 March 2026 16:12 UTC) View original post What this means: This is bullish for 1INCH because the Aqua protocol represents a significant technical innovation that could improve capital efficiency and user experience, potentially driving increased network usage and demand for the token.

3. @guy5_signal: Traders note strange price action amid lows mixed

"Do you realize 1INCH looks strange ? Binance Futures $1INCH/ $USDT Take-Profit target 1 ✅ Profit: 61.0687% 📈 Period: 5 Hours 16 Minutes ⏰" – @guy5_signal (1.5K followers · 18 February 2026 05:17 UTC) View original post What this means: This reflects a mixed sentiment; while some traders capitalize on short-term volatility, the context of the token trading 99% below its all-time high underscores deep-seated bearishness and a lack of sustained momentum.

Conclusion

The consensus on 1INCH is mixed. While the core protocol continues to innovate with products like Aqua, signaling long-term health, these efforts are currently drowned out by negative sentiment stemming from leadership turmoil and the token's severe underperformance. The key metric to watch is whether rising swap volume from new features can finally translate into price recovery.

What is the latest news on 1INCH?

TLDR

1inch navigates a leadership transition while its legal base in a top crypto jurisdiction signals maturity. Here are the latest news:

  1. Co-Founder Exits After Firing Claim (17 July 2026) – Anton Bukov leaves operations to build a new venture, but 1inch asserts stability under Sergej Kunz.

  2. Legal Base in Top Crypto Hub (17 July 2026) – 1inch is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, benefiting from its clear regulatory framework for digital assets.

Deep Dive

1. Co-Founder Exits After Firing Claim (17 July 2026)

Overview: Co-founder Anton Bukov announced he was fired in November 2025 after pushing for management changes and has fully stepped away from 1inch's operations. He retains a 50% ownership stake but no operational role. The remaining co-founder, Sergej Kunz, stated the departure does not disrupt the network's infrastructure or product development. What this means: This is neutral for 1INCH in the short term because, while it reveals past internal disagreements, current leadership has reaffirmed operational continuity. The project's development roadmap and security oversight remain under Kunz's direction. (CoinMarketCap)

Overview: 1inch is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a jurisdiction that hosts over $1.5 billion in tokenized US Treasuries. The BVI's appeal for crypto firms like 1inch stems from its Virtual Assets Service Providers Act (2023), which offers legal certainty and regulatory clarity rather than just tax benefits. What this means: This is bullish for 1INCH because it provides the protocol with a stable, reputable legal foundation that can foster institutional credibility and long-term sustainability, aligning with broader DeFi maturation trends. (CoinMarketCap)

Conclusion

1inch is stabilizing its governance after a co-founder's exit while its strategic incorporation in a regulated hub strengthens its institutional posture. Will Sergej Kunz's solo leadership accelerate the rollout of key upgrades like the Aqua liquidity product?

What is the latest update in 1INCH’s codebase?

TLDR

Recent 1inch codebase activity focuses on security hardening and ecosystem expansion.

  1. Security Patch for Plugin Vulnerability (10 July 2025) – A critical reentrancy flaw in a third-party smart contract was identified and patched, with no user funds affected.

  2. 1IPs Governance Repository Archived (14 February 2025) – The formal proposal repository was moved to read-only, indicating a shift in governance workflow.

  3. Wallet Adds Solana Network Support (30 June 2025) – The 1inch Wallet integrated Solana, enabling direct management of SOL and SPL tokens.

Deep Dive

1. Security Patch for Plugin Vulnerability (10 July 2025)

Overview: A security researcher found a reentrancy vulnerability in a smart contract plugin used by a partner. The 1inch team confirmed the vulnerable code was never deployed in their own production systems and patched it immediately.

The issue was a classic reentrancy attack vector within a plugin. Independent AI audit agents verified the fix and identified a related potential future issue, which was also resolved. A bug bounty was awarded through HackenProof, underscoring the protocol's commitment to its security program.

What this means: This is bullish for 1INCH because it demonstrates a proactive and robust security response. Users benefit from a safer trading environment, which builds essential trust in the DeFi protocol. The swift action and collaboration with external researchers show the development team is vigilant. (1inch)

2. 1IPs Governance Repository Archived (14 February 2025)

Overview: The official 1inch Improvement Proposals (1IPs) repository on GitHub was archived by the owner, making it read-only. This repository was the central hub for community-subited proposals for protocol upgrades and changes.

The last commit to this repository was in December 2021. Archiving it suggests the formal, GitHub-based governance proposal process has been deprecated or migrated to another platform, such as the dedicated governance portal launched in October 2025.

What this means: This is neutral for 1INCH as it reflects an evolution in governance tools rather than a halt in development. It may streamline community participation but reduces transparency for those tracking code changes directly on GitHub. The focus shifts to active product development rather than public proposal drafting. (GitHub)

3. Wallet Adds Solana Network Support (30 June 2025)

Overview: The 1inch Wallet released an update integrating support for the Solana network. This allows users to natively store, send, receive, and view Solana-based tokens (SPL tokens) within the same interface.

This integration is a significant technical expansion, requiring the wallet to support Solana's distinct account model and RPC methods. It broadens the wallet's utility from primarily EVM-based chains to include a major non-EVM ecosystem, aiming to capture more cross-chain trading volume.

What this means: This is bullish for 1INCH because it directly improves the user experience by offering more options in one app. A more versatile wallet can attract a larger user base, potentially increasing swap volume through the 1inch aggregator and driving more utility for the 1INCH token. (CoinMarketCap)

Conclusion

The trajectory shows a mature project prioritizing critical security maintenance and user-facing product expansions over public, code-heavy governance proposals. How will the upcoming "Unite DeFi" hackathon catalyze the next wave of innovation on the 1inch stack?

What is next on 1INCH’s roadmap?

TLDR

1inch's development continues with these milestones:

  1. Limit Order Protocol Release (Shortly) – Enables users to set specific price targets for automated, non-custodial trades.

  2. Gasless Voting via zkPorter Integration (Summer 2026) – Aims to reduce governance participation costs using zero-knowledge proofs.

  3. Deflationary Token Mechanism Exploration (Future) – A potential long-term upgrade to 1INCH tokenomics under DAO consideration.

Deep Dive

1. Limit Order Protocol Release (Shortly)

Overview: Co-founders confirmed in an April 2026 AMA that a limit order protocol will be released "shortly" (1inch AMA). This feature allows traders to set buy or sell orders at predetermined prices, which execute automatically when the market reaches those levels, without requiring users to custody funds on an exchange.

What this means: This is bullish for 1INCH because it directly enhances the utility of the 1inch aggregator, attracting more sophisticated traders and increasing protocol fee revenue. The risk is delayed delivery, which could dampen sentiment if timelines slip.

2. Gasless Voting via zkPorter Integration (Summer 2026)

Overview: The same AMA noted that gasless voting is too complex currently but identified zkPorter from Matter Labs as a promising solution expected "this summer" (1inch AMA). Integration would mark a second phase for 1inch DAO governance.

What this means: This is neutral-to-bullish for 1INCH because reducing the cost of governance voting could significantly increase token holder participation and decentralization. The bearish angle is dependency on a third-party technology (zkPorter) whose own launch and performance are not guaranteed.

3. Deflationary Token Mechanism Exploration (Future)

Overview: During the AMA, co-founders stated a deflationary burning mechanism "won’t happen shortly" but "may be considered in future" due to long-term benefits (1inch AMA). This would involve burning a portion of tokens to reduce supply.

What this means: This is a long-term bullish catalyst for 1INCH because a verified burn mechanism could create scarcity and support the token's value. However, it's merely an idea with no timeline, and its implementation could reduce stakers' APYs, creating sell pressure if announced.

Conclusion

1inch's near-term roadmap focuses on enhancing its core trading product with limit orders, while its mid-term vision aims to lower barriers for decentralized governance. How might the success of these features influence 1inch's market share among DEX aggregators?

CMC AI can make mistakes. Not financial advice.