By aggregating fragmented liquidity pools, Velora enables gasless, MEV-protected, and chain-abstracted cross-chain swaps. Building on the ParaSwap legacy, it has processed over 30M transactions and $120B in trading volume. Its mission is to expand DeFi adoption while maintaining a decentralized CEX-like user experience. 

From ParaSwap to Velora: A Next-Gen Crosschain DeFi Protocol

ParaSwap has evolved into Velora, a fully intent-based crosschain DeFi trading protocol. Previously, ParaSwap focused on aggregating DEXs to deliver the fastest and most cost-efficient swaps. To date, it has: 

• Facilitated over $100B in total trading volume ($12B in the last 90 days) 
• Supported Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, Avalanche, BSC, Optimism, Gnosis, and Polygon zkEVM 
• Integrated more than 100 liquidity sources 

Team and Founders

Velora is developed by the ParaSwap team with extensive DeFi expertise. While most founders remain anonymous, the project’s creator is identified as Mounir Benchemled (@mounibec). The project was founded in 2019 in Paris, France. 

Investors and Partnerships

• Velora raised ~$5.7M from early-stage VC funds, including Zyfi, BlackDragon, Cabrit Capital, Cumberland, Extra Watts, and Founderheads (28 total investors). 
• Institutional partners include asset managers, lenders, banks, brokers/bots, market makers, and custodians. Velora’s ecosystem has 170+ protocol integrations across multiple chains. 
• Highlighted partnerships: Binance Wallet (VLR TGE listing, Sep 16, 2025), Stargate Finance, Arbitrum DRIP, Chainza (agent rewards). 

Vision and Purpose

Velora aims to eliminate fragmented liquidity and chain complexity with its intent-based architecture. User intents (cross-chain swaps, limit orders) are executed through the Delta engine and solver agents. The protocol ensures gasless, MEV-protected, and chain-abstracted trading. 

Through agent competition, Velora guarantees best pricing, making DeFi accessible to both retail and institutional users. 

How Velora Works

• Velora operates on the Portikus infrastructure and Delta engine using an agent-based model: 
• Chain Abstraction: Instant cross-chain swaps via multi-bridge routing (ERC20/USDC with Stargate) 
• Super Hooks: Merges swap and cross-chain actions into a single process with programmable modules 
• Advanced Limit Orders: Auto-fill with price competition among solver agents 
• Onchain RFQ: Real-time quotes from KYC-verified market makers 
• Velora integrates 160+ protocols, aggregates liquidity across L1/L2 chains, and its smart contracts are independently audited. 

Governance

Velora’s governance model empowers VLR token holders to shape the platform’s future. Users can stake tokens for rewards and participate in DAO decisions, maintaining decentralized ownership. 

• VLR Token: Staking (sePS2 boosted pool) and DAO voting 
• Revenue Sharing: Stakers earn 80% of protocol revenue 
• Migration: 1:1 PSP -VLR migration into a unified staking/governance model 

Roadmap 

• TGE: Sep 16, 2025 – Binance Alpha listing & airdrop 
• Campaigns: Road to Velora, Bankless Hunt, Cookie3, Migration Rewards 
• Future: Multi-bridge expansion, Superchain integrations, new chains (BNB Chain), solver optimization, institutional APIs, yield optimizer 

VLR Token

VLR is Velora’s native token used for staking, governance, liquidity, and supporting intent-based execution in cross-chain transactions. 

Use Cases 

• Staking: Boosted pools and revenue rewards 
• Governance: DAO voting & protocol upgrades 
• Migration Incentives: Early adopters receive extra rewards 
• Ecosystem Rewards: Referrals and agent competition bonuses 

Token Information 

• Name: VLR 
• Type: ERC-20 (Base network) 
• Total Supply: 2,000,000,000 VLR 
• Max Supply: 2,000,000,000 VLR 
• Circulating Supply (self-reported): 1,900,000,000 VLR 
• Price: $0 pre-TGE (Sep 15, 2025); trading on Binance Alpha from Sep 16 

Token Distribution 

• 10% Migration & ecosystem incentives 
• Staking & governance revenue share 
• Team/partnership vesting: 1–3 months 
• Migration campaigns: 2–3 months 

Ecosystem 

• 12 active chains: Ethereum, BSC, Avalanche, Polygon, Gnosis, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Sonic, Unichain 
• 170+ protocol integrations 
• 30M+ transactions, $120B+ volume 

Key Features 

• Crosschain swaps (multi-bridge) 
• Limit Orders & Super Hooks 
• Delta: MEV-protected, gasless, agent-based execution 
• Onchain RFQ, Yield Optimizer, Advanced Charts 
• Referral & Agent of the Month rewards 
• Audited smart contracts; tracked via DeFiLlama fees/revenue 

Official Links 

• Website
• Twitter
• Discord

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The post Velora (VLR): Next-Gen Crosschain DeFi Protocol appeared first on Coin Engineer.

What Makes CoW Protocol Unique? 

Unlike traditional order book or constant liquidity pool models, CoW Protocol operates based on the concept of “intents.” Users submit the assets they wish to swap as off-chain signed intents. These intents are collected by independent actors known as “solvers”, who find the most efficient swap combinations. Transactions are then executed through batch auctions, enabling: 

• Lower transaction costs 
• Protection against failed transaction gas fees 
• Full prevention of MEV attacks like front-running 

What Is CoW Swap? 

CoW Swap is the first and most popular interface built on CoW Protocol, allowing users to swap tokens using the CoW infrastructure. The user-friendly interface includes features like wallet history, mini-games, and the legendary “Moo” sound. CoW Swap also integrates with other DeFi apps like Balancer, providing access to multi-protocol liquidity. 

What Is the COW Token? 

COW is the native governance and utility token of the CoW Protocol. It is used to pay transaction fees for cross-chain and cross-application asset transfers within the protocol. As an ERC-20 token built on Ethereum, it does not have its own blockchain but benefits from Ethereum’s security and infrastructure. 

COW token holders participate in the protocol’s decentralized governance structure (DAO), gaining the right to vote on important decisions like protocol upgrades and grant programs. Thus, holders have both economic and governance influence within the ecosystem. 

COW Token Use Cases 

• Governance: Voting rights via Snapshot 
• Incentives: Rewards for solvers and developer contributors 
• Community Participation: Grant programs and ecosystem funds 

Token Distribution and Supply 

• Total Supply: 1,000,000,000 COW 
• Circulating Supply: 498,467,084.15 
• Max Annual Inflation: 3% 
• Token Release Policy: New tokens can only be issued once per year 

Main Distribution: 

• CoW DAO Treasury (44.4%) – For long-term development and governed by the community 
• Team (15%) – Reserved for core developers 
• GnosisDAO (10%) – For early technical and strategic contributions 
• CoWmunity Airdrop (10%) – For early users and contributors 
• Community Sale (10%) – For early users who supported the protocol financially 
• Strategic Round (10%) – For institutional investors 
• Advisors (0.6%) – For strategic and expert contributions 
• Note: The vesting version of the token, vCOW, gradually converts into COW and is considered in circulating supply metrics. 

Founding Team and Partnerships 

CoW Protocol was launched in 2021 under the leadership of Anna George in collaboration with GnosisDAO. 

• Anna George (CEO & Co-Founder): Former APAC Director at Gnosis; previously worked with the UNDP and GIZ. 
• Felix Leupold (Technical Co-Founder): Joined the Ethereum ecosystem in 2018 and worked on fair trade mechanisms at Gnosis. 

Why CoW Protocol Matters 

• MEV Protection: Off-chain intent model prevents miners or bots from manipulating transactions. 
• Efficient Pricing: Solver competition ensures optimal pricing and access to both on- and off-chain liquidity. 
• Expanding Ecosystem: Integrated with various DeFi protocols and backed by a growing community. 

How It Works 

• Intent Submission: Users sign their swap intentions off-chain. 
• Batch Auctions: Intents are grouped periodically. 
• Solver Competition: Solvers scan all liquidity sources for the best match. 
• On-Chain Settlement: The solver offering the highest surplus executes the batch in one transaction. 
• Advantages: Reduced gas costs, full MEV protection, and best price guarantees. 

Core Components of the CoW Ecosystem 

• CoW DAO: The protocol’s governance body; token holders vote on major decisions. 
• COW Token: The native token used for governance and protocol sustainability. 
• Solvers: Independent actors who compete to match intents and execute transactions. 
• Users: Anyone utilizing the protocol via CoW Swap for secure and low-cost token swaps. 
• CoW Swap: The front-end interface of CoW Protocol for retail and DeFi users. 

Investors 

• GnosisDAO (founder and strategic partner) 
• 1kx (Web3-focused VC) 
• Blockchain Capital 
• Protofire (SDK and interface development partner) 
• mgnr 
• SevenX Ventures 

Other contributors include: Delphi Ventures, Dialectic, Cherry Ventures, Collider Ventures, Ethereal Ventures, Robot Ventures, imToken Ventures, 0x Labs, Atka, Kronos Research, The LAO, Hack VC, and 30+ angel and institutional investors. 

Roadmap 

January 2023: Roadmap planning and spec drafting by backend/frontend teams 

Q2 2023: Finalized roadmap 

Prototype of hard/multiple order cancellations and advanced batch auction features 

2024: Launch of CoW AMM module and V3 “hooks” architecture 

MEV Blocker rollout from testnet to mainnet 

2025 and Beyond: Expansion to multiple chains (Arbitrum, Base, Avalanche, etc.) 

Developer SDK and dApp tooling improvements 

Official Links 

• Website
• Twitter
• Discord

Also, you can freely share your thoughts and comments about the topic in the comment section. Additionally, please follow us on our Telegram, YouTube and Twitter channels for the latest news and updates.

The post What is CoW Protocol (COW)? An Innovative Meta-DEX Approach appeared first on Coin Engineer.