UniswapX, 1inch Fusion, and the Intent Swap Revolution

Traditional DEX swaps work like this: you submit a transaction to the blockchain, miners/validators include it, and the swap executes on-chain. Intent-based swaps flip this model: you sign a message stating what you want (e.g., "swap 1 ETH for at least 3,200 USDC"), and off-chain "solvers" compete to fulfill your intent at the best price.

The solver who finds the best execution submits the settlement on-chain. You never interact with a smart contract directly — you only sign an intent. This enables better prices, lower gas costs, and protection from MEV attacks.

UniswapX is Uniswap's intent-based trading protocol. Instead of routing through on-chain liquidity pools, UniswapX lets solvers (professional market makers) fill your order off-chain and settle on-chain. Benefits: better prices for large orders, no gas fees for failed swaps, MEV protection through batch auctions.

UniswapX also supports cross-chain swaps: fill on one chain, receive on another. This eliminates the need for manual bridging. The protocol uses Dutch auctions for price discovery, ensuring you get a fair market price.

1inch Fusion works similarly to UniswapX: you sign a swap intent, and resolvers compete to fill it (how Fusion works). Fusion supports cross-chain swaps across 10+ networks and uses a time-based Dutch auction for optimal pricing.

CoW Swap (Coincidence of Wants) batches orders together and settles them through a batch auction (CoW Protocol docs). Orders that can be matched directly (Coincidence of Wants) are settled without going through an AMM, reducing slippage and fees. CoW Swap also protects against MEV through its batch auction mechanism.

ERC-7683 is an emerging Ethereum standard that defines a universal interface for cross-chain intent orders (EIP-7683). It allows any wallet to create a cross-chain swap intent that any solver can fulfill, regardless of the underlying bridge or DEX used.

This standard is significant because it enables interoperability: a wallet that supports ERC-7683 can access solvers from UniswapX, 1inch Fusion, Across, and other protocols through a single interface. AEXI integrates with intent-based protocols to route through the optimal solver for your specific swap.