One of the biggest issues facing the crypto industry is user adoption. This is primarily due to the technical nature of blockchain technology, meaning that only users/developers familiar with complex concepts and strategies can truly harness its power.

As a result, many projects have taken it upon themselves to improve this. One of the major breakthroughs in this sector has been the introduction of Intents, which allows everyday users to complete blockchain-related processes using everyday language. Now, with a platform like Aperture Finance, users can use intents to communicate with artificial intelligence to carry out blockchain-related tasks.

What is Aperture Finance?

Source: aperture.finance

Aperture Finance is a DeFi platform that aims to improve blockchain adoption by using artificial intelligence to simplify complex trading strategies. Essentially, it allows users to state their financial goals in human language, and its native AI-powered system called IntentsGPT translates their commands into actionable trading strategies. This allows both novices and experienced traders to enjoy a smoother trading experience without needing so much technical knowledge.

Aperture Finance provides access to various DeFi products, including liquidity pools, swap pairs, and yield-generation strategies through its premier decentralized exchange (DEX), ApertureSwap. It also offers integration with popular decentralized exchanges like Uniswap and PancakeSwap.

Additionally, Aperture Finance features a comprehensive solver network, whose job is to continuously scan liquidity pools and protocols across various blockchains for the best price. What’s more, the platform uses a gasless transaction model, meaning users can trust Aperture Finance to handle the overly high transaction fees. These features enable Aperture Finance to make trading more accessible by opening up advanced strategies that were once available only to institutional investors.

History of Aperture Finance

Aperture Finance was launched in 2021 by CEO Lian Zhu. Other members of the executive team include Peiqian Li (co-CTO), Gao Han (co-CTO), and Kavi Saglani (CMO). These professionals have experience with giant companies like Google, Netflix, and Wall Street.

Since its launch, Aperture Finance has steadily grown its ecosystem by integrating with multiple blockchain networks and projects, including Uniswap, Manta Network, Arbitrum, Polygon and Optimism. On May 31st, 2024, the project officially launched its native token, APTR, which can be used for transactions across Ethereum, Arbitrum, and the Mantle Network. The platform has also processed up to 4 million transactions, with an intent volume of $3.7 billion, and hosting up to 344,634 active wallet users.

The project also received good backing from the crypto industry, raising up to @aperturefinance/aperture-finance-defi-defined-2024-in-review-24d0ffa752e7">$12 million across four funding rounds, and reaching a $250 million valuation. Its most recent funding round (Series A) was led by Skyland Ventures, Blockchain Founders Fund, and Krypital Group, and received participation from other reputable investors like Alchemy, SNZ, Stratified Capital, Cipholio, ViaBTC, CatcherVC, and Double Peak. Other investors who participated in previous funding rounds include ParaFi Capital, Arrington Capital, Divergence Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, Athena Ventures, Stakely, etc.

How Does Aperture Finance Work?

Aperture Finance’s core offering is a robust framework that combines artificial intelligence with blockchain technology to optimize and simplify complex DeFi transactions. Its system allows users to express their financial goals in everyday language and automatically translate them into actual trading strategies. As such, there is no need for the usual manual configurations, thus making DeFi more accessible to beginners and experienced traders.

Aperture Finance’s structure is made up of four key components, namely IntentsGPT, an Intents Mempool, solver nodes and an execution engine that assess the solutions brought forward by the solver nodes. The first component, IntentsGPT, is an AI-powered chatbot that acts like a smart assistant and understands natural language, similar to the likes of Apple’s Siri.

With IntentsGPT, instead of manually analyzing and setting up trades with different settings, a user can simply say, “I want to maximize yield on my ETH investments for the next week,” and IntentsGPT will convert that request into a clear, standardized blockchain command. Aperture Finance achieves this using a specialized Domain-Specific Language (DSL) that bridges the gap between the user’s human-language input and the technical requirements of the blockchain.

After a user shares their intent with the chatbot, the intent is sent to the Intents Mempool, which acts as a secure storage space that organizes and queues all incoming requests. The Mempool also ensures that requests are processed based on factors like urgency and available resources. This approach helps Aperture Finance to manage the high volume of user inputs and ensure that no request is lost or delayed.

The third component of Aperture Finance’s structure involves a network of solver nodes, whose responsibility is to scan the entire DeFi landscape. They are able to access data from multiple liquidity sources and run complex algorithms to identify the best possible routes and solutions for each user’s intent. They also use zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to validate off-chain data without exposing sensitive information like user details. The proposed solutions are then sent to the final component- the Ranking and Execution Engine.

The execution engine reviews and ranks all the proposed solutions from solver nodes based on criteria like potential yield, associated fees, and overall risk. It then selects the best solution and executes the transaction on the blockchain, ensuring that users achieve the best possible outcome as fast as possible at minimal cost and delay.

Main Features of Aperture Finance

Features include:

Solver DAOs

As stated earlier, Solver DAOs are a key part of Aperture Finance’s architecture, as they are made up of solver nodes helping to transform user requests into actual DeFi solutions. Essentially, Solver DAOs are groups or networks of solvers that focus on tackling the “intents” declared by users, such as claiming an airdrop or rebalancing their liquidity.

To join, Solver nodes stake a specific amount of $APTR and ETH, giving them access to the pool of user intents collected in the system’s mempool. These DAOs can comprise one established solver working alone or a network of smaller solvers working together.

Intents can be solved by Aperture Finance DAOs or third-party Solver DAOs. Once a new intent is submitted, the Solver DAO (whether from Aperture Finance or a third-party) can then create a solution that fits with Aperture Finance’s modular design. After figuring out a solution, they can then make it “declarable”, allowing users to use the solution through Aperture Finance to complete their initial request.

Solver DAOs are competitive, and they are encouraged to come up with solutions as fast as possible to earn rewards. The competitive process is multifaceted. In the Aperture ecosystem, solvers may decide to use on-chain smart contracts for scalability and speed, or they might employ off-chain scripts that quickly post solutions.

Additionally, professional solvers have personalized “alpha” methods, essentially advanced strategies and techniques for solving intents. This means they don’t need to use traditional smart contracts during their solving process and can instead rely on Aperture’s zero-knowledge (ZK) verification process to validate their off-chain solutions faster. Additionally, some Solver DAOs also use a vault mechanism to crowdfund their staking requirements, and share their revenue in return.

A practical example of this process would be an “airdrop claim intent.” A user might say, “Claim all eligible airdrops on my behalf, including gas costs, for a finder’s fee of 1% or less.” The system’s chatbot will then ask clarifying questions, translate the user’s natural language into a standardized format, and post the intent in the Mempool. Solver DAOs can then view this request, match it with the eligible airdrops for the user, and submit their proposed solutions. These proposals are then simulated and verified by Aperture’s smart contracts, ranked by the execution engine, and the best solution is executed, allowing the user to receive all eligible airdrops seamlessly.

ApertureSwap

Source: https://app.aperture.finance/swap?chainId=1&amm=Uniswap

ApertureSwap is a decentralized exchange (DEX) using a similar model to Uniswap V3. It operates on Manta Pacific, a zero-knowledge (ZK) Layer 2 network built on Ethereum. Manta Pacific is an Ethereum Layer 2 network that uses zero-knowledge proofs to secure and speed up transactions. It’s built using a modified version of the OP Stack—a framework also used by projects like BASE chain and A16z’s Magi chain. This allows users to enjoy faster and cheaper transactions.

However, unlike Uniswap V3, ApertureSwap comes with built-in features that can automatically manage liquidity for users. Having native LP (liquidity provider) automation features help users ensure that their trades are executed efficiently without the need for constant manual adjustments. Additionally, ApertureSwap supports limit and range orders (DeFi tools that allow users to set specific conditions for their trades), giving users more control over how and when their transactions can happen.

Market Making As A Service (MaaS)

Market Making as a Service (MaaS) is a new solution that helps protocol owners manage on-chain liquidity more effectively. Basically, MaaS provides advanced tools that automate the process of market making, ensuring that there is enough liquidity in the market to support smooth trading. This is particularly important for decentralized exchanges and token-based protocols, where having adequate liquidity can be the difference between efficient trading and volatile price swings.

MaaS offers a better approach to liquidity management by providing on-chain inventory management, and efficient rebalancing of maker and taker (buyer and seller) positions. With better access to concentrated liquidity, protocol owners can ensure that their assets are placed in optimal price ranges, which in turn creates better market liquidity. Aperture Finance’s MaaS platform is also easily customizable, allowing for both hands-on management and fully automated strategies based on the specific needs and risk tolerance of the project.

Aperture Finance’s MaaS also offers a suite of algorithmic trading tools to help protocol owners acquire or liquidate assets using strategies like Time-Weighted Average Price (TWAP) and Volume-Weighted Average Price (VWAP). These tools ensure that trades are executed at the best rates while minimizing market impact and sudden price swings.

What is APTR?

APTR is the native governance and utility token of the Aperture Finance ecosystem. It is an ERC20 token launched on May 31st, 2024. With the APTR token, users can facilitate transactions as well as enjoy the right to contribute to the decision-making processes of the platform. They also get rewarded in APTR tokens for staking on the platform.

APTR Tokenomics

Source: docs.aperture.finance

APTR has a current circulating supply of 90.9 million tokens, a total supply of 1 billion tokens, and a market cap of $155,000. The token was distributed as follows:

• 7% was reserved for airdrops
• 1.3% was sold in a public sale
• 37.7% was reserved for the ecosystem fund
• 20% went to the team and advisors
• 10% was reserved for strategic purposes
• 12% was allocated to the seed round
• Another 12% was allocated to the community growth fund

News on APTR

2024 was a busy year for Aperture Finance. It enjoyed different milestones, such as introducing its token APTR, sharing the token via airdrops to reward users, and even launching its Market Making as a Service (MaaS) model. In 2025, the platform @aperturefinance/aperture-finance-defi-defined-2024-in-review-24d0ffa752e7">reaffirmed its commitment to continuing AI-driven innovation.

Is APTR a Good Investment?

APTR is set to revolutionize the concept of DeFi trading by providing AI-powered intents execution. However, we must always remember that the crypto market is very volatile. As such, we should always do extensive research before investing in any project, however attractive it may be.

Take Action on APTR

All users can trade and swap APTR on gate.io. Click here to view and trade your favorite pairs.

• APTR/USDT