What is 1inch and how does the 1inch swap work?

1inch is a crypto service that finds a route for token swaps by comparing prices across many decentralized exchanges at once. Rather than being a single exchange with its own pools, it is an aggregator, a kind of search engine for on-chain liquidity. It was founded in 2019 by Sergej Kunz and Anton Bukov.

What is 1inch crypto and how does a 1inch swap work?

When you swap tokens on a single DEX, you only get the price that exchange's pools can offer. 1inch's Aggregation Protocol uses a routing algorithm called Pathfinder to look across the liquidity sources it has integrated, which 1inch puts at more than 270 protocols. A large trade may be split across several venues to reduce price impact.

Splitting matters because big trades in a single pool can move the price against you, an effect explained in what slippage is in crypto. Aggregation does not remove that risk, but it spreads the trade. As of October 2026, 1inch lists 13 networks for the protocol, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Avalanche and Solana.

What is 1inch Fusion?

Fusion, released in December 2022, changes how a swap is filled. Instead of sending the trade straight to on-chain pools, you sign an order and approved parties called resolvers compete to fill it. They must stake 1INCH tokens to be registered.

Resolvers compete in a Dutch auction. The rate starts high for the user and falls over time until a resolver fills the order, the rate reaches your slippage limit, or the order expires. The resolver pays the gas fee, so you do not need the chain's native token to swap, and an expired order costs nothing. 1inch says this design helps protect users from front-running and sandwich attacks, a form of MEV.

What is the 1inch Wallet?

The 1inch Wallet, sometimes called the 1inch network wallet, is a self-custodial, multi-chain mobile app. Self-custodial means you control your own keys, so keeping your backup safe is your job. The app supports networks including Ethereum, Solana and BNB Chain.

According to 1inch, the wallet lets you store and send tokens, buy crypto through a third-party provider, swap across chains, track DeFi positions and use a built-in browser for dapps. It also shows transaction simulations and scam warnings before you sign.

What is the 1INCH token used for?

1inch launched its DAO and the 1INCH token in December 2020. 1INCH is an ERC-20 token used mainly for governance. Holders can stake it to get voting power in proportion to their stake, and staking is also how resolvers qualify to fill Fusion orders. As of October 2026, the token's exact roles are set by the 1inch DAO and can change.