In June of last year, shortly after Paradigm published their article “Intent-Based Architectures and Their Risks,” the concept of “intent” gained significant traction. By July of the same year, “Intent-centric protocols and infra” topped Paradigm’s list of the top 10 areas of interest, reflecting the growing focus on this concept by institutions.

The Concept of “Intent” and “Intent-Centric” Approaches

“Intent” simplifies operational workflows by defining the intention at the starting point and the desired outcome, enhancing the user experience.

Intent-based applications provide digital users with a method to execute tasks, reducing costs and improving efficiency. Essentially, intent can be viewed as a digital matching mechanism. It operates on the principle of connecting user needs with viable solutions, streamlining the complex processes in between to deliver a straightforward final result.

Source: Foresight Ventures

Building on this foundation, the “intent-centric” protocols and applications have been developed. These help users by allowing them to simply state their goals or intentions when using DApps. The system then automatically interprets and executes the necessary actions to achieve the desired outcome. This design significantly simplifies the interaction process between users and DApps, lowering the barrier to entry and making it easier for even non-technical users to get started. It facilitates the advantages and conveniences of decentralized applications, thereby reducing the entry threshold for Web3 and attracting more users.

Overview of Intent-Centric Projects

1. Universal Intent Network Solutions

Across Protocol
Across is an intent-driven interoperability protocol. It is currently the only operational cross-chain intent protocol capable of transferring value in the fastest and most cost-effective manner without compromising security. Across, in collaboration with Uniswap Labs, has developed the first cross-chain intent standard, ERC-7683. This standard is a universal protocol based on intent, designed to enhance connectivity, user experience, and cost-efficiency between blockchain networks. In August of this year, Optimism announced its adoption of the ERC-7683 cross-chain intent standard to facilitate high-speed ETH and USDC transfers on the Superchain, further promoting application-layer interoperability across the broader Ethereum ecosystem.

In August this year, the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase added the native token ACX of Across Protocol to its listing roadmap.

Anoma
Anoma is a universal intent machine that transforms the way decentralized applications (DApps) are built. It moves away from the traditional transaction-based model and adopts an intent-oriented approach, allowing users to directly define their desired outcomes without delving into complex computation steps. This declarative feature simplifies user interactions, making the DApp development process more intuitive. Anoma’s intent machine not only complements existing virtual machines but also provides a higher level of abstraction, enabling users to interact with blockchains easily without needing to understand technical details. Its versatility ensures compatibility with any blockchain, opening new possibilities for developers to create intent-driven applications.

Additionally, Anoma introduces unique features such as permissionless intent infrastructure, intent-level composability, information flow control, and heterogeneous trust. These capabilities collectively unlock new application scenarios that traditional virtual machines struggle to address, driving further development of the ecosystem.

Bento Batch

Bento Batch is an Intent Transaction Layer (ITL) designed to enhance blockchain efficiency. This layer redefines the interaction between wallets and decentralized applications (DApps). Within this intent transaction layer, transactions are optimized to directly achieve the expected outcomes of various operations. Users no longer need to sign each transaction individually or delve into the details of every transaction. Instead, they simply need to specify their goals and requirements, and the intent transaction layer will efficiently fulfill these needs. This approach significantly simplifies the transaction process, reducing Gas fees while improving the user experience.

Cowswap
Cow Protocol is a permissionless trading protocol that discovers prices through Batch Auctions, aiming to maximize liquidity. It aggregates all available on-chain liquidity sources by seeking opportunities for “Coincidence of Wants,” where two users have what each other needs. Unlike traditional trading protocols, Cow Protocol’s handlers compete to provide users with the best solutions to fulfill their intentions.

Cow Swap is the front-end interface for Cow Protocol. It is a decentralized exchange (DEX) that helps users find the lowest trading prices across all DEXs and aggregators through an intent-focused model. Designed with an intent-centric approach, it protects users from front-running and other effects that may harm Miner Extractable Value (MEV). A new feature, Cow Hooks, allows developers and advanced traders to write custom operations (such as trading, cross-chain, staking, deposits, etc.) and execute them within a single transaction, thereby better realizing the user’s trading intentions.

Source: @defi_naly

dappOS
dappOS is an intent execution network currently valued at $300 million and is one of the leading projects in the intent sector. In March of this year, dappOS completed a Series A funding round of $15.3 million, led by Polychain with participation from Nomad Capital, IDG, and others. Last July, dappOS announced the completion of a seed round financing at a $50 million valuation, with IDG Capital and Sequoia China as lead investors, along with OKX Ventures, HashKey Capital, and others. Additionally, dappOS was selected for Binance Labs’ fifth incubation program in November 2022 and secured Pre-Seed funding from Binance Labs in June 2023.

Recently, dappOS introduced Intent Assets, a new initiative aimed at addressing the issue of rapid TVL (Total Value Locked) loss following the release of airdrop rewards.

Enso Finance
Enso Finance is an intent engine designed to drive the future of “intent-centric” applications. As an independent L1 Tendermint blockchain, Enso is powered by network participants and offers efficient execution and broad integration. Enso Finance has recently announced the launch of the Enso Intent Engine, which aims to simplify smart contract interactions on the blockchain and support the creation of tradeable data across various blockchain frameworks. The Enso Intent Engine constructs tradeable data by sharing the map of smart contract interactions, allowing developers to express their intentions and automatically handle complex blockchain interactions. This simplifies the integration of smart contracts with blockchains and better addresses requests such as state changes, token transfers, NFT transactions, and DeFi strategy executions.

In June of this year, Enso announced the completion of a $4.2 million funding round, led by Ideo Ventures and Hypersphere, with participation from over 60 angel investors. The new funds will be used to launch the Cosmos-based L1 blockchain later this year and for ongoing product development.

Essential
Essential is a blockchain project that redesigns blockchain interactions using a declarative, intent-based architecture from first principles. This approach makes blockchain technology more intuitive and accessible to developers and users worldwide. In August of this year, Essential, a company focused on intent-based cryptographic infrastructure, completed a $11 million Series A funding round, led by Archetype, with participation from IOSG, Spartan, and others. Last September, Essential raised $5.15 million in a seed round, led by Maven11, with contributions from Robot Ventures, Karatage, and others.

Recently, Essential introduced Pint, a declarative smart contract language designed to interact directly with blockchain state changes using constraint modeling methods. Pint incorporates modern programming features such as type safety, user-defined types, and scalability, and simplifies protocol logic implementation through an intuitive interface. Unlike imperative languages, Pint’s declarative contracts allow developers to see and understand exactly what they are getting, significantly simplifying smart contract development and comprehension.

FluxLayer

FluxLayer is a full-chain intent liquidity layer supported by EigenLayer. In August of this year, Binance Labs Fund announced the second batch of projects for its seventh season of incubation, including FluxLayer.

Particle Network

Particle Network is the first “intent-centric” modular access layer for Web3, designed to enhance user interaction with blockchains by providing convenience, efficient interaction, data autonomy, and modular adaptability throughout the entire user interaction lifecycle. Particle’s main product is the “Universal Account,” which allows users to interact with funds from different blockchains.

In June of this year, Particle Network announced the completion of a $15 million Series A funding round, led jointly by Spartan Group and Gumi Cryptos Capital, with participation from SevenX Ventures and others. This round of funding brings Particle’s total funding to $25 million. In August, Binance Labs announced an investment in Particle Network. The newly raised funds will be used for global team expansion, enhancing the functionality and integration of its chain abstraction ecosystem, and preparing for the launch of its Layer 1 mainnet later this year.

Ruby Protocol

Ruby Protocol is an “intent-centric” account and access layer focused on building a privacy-preserving and interoperable Web3 infrastructure. Ruby Protocol provides services such as Account Abstraction (AA), Asset Bridging (AB), and Access Control (AC), aimed at accelerating the development and widespread adoption of Web3. By integrating with platforms such as LayerZero Labs, Arbitrum, and Optimism, it offers a chain abstraction layer that supports scalability, interoperability, and privacy protection.

In June, the native token RUBY of Ruby Protocol was listed on trading platforms including Bybit.

Self Chain

Self Chain is a modular, “intent-centric” Layer 1 blockchain and keyless wallet infrastructure that enables multi-chain Web3 access through MPC-TSS/AA technology. The system uses large language models (LLMs) to interpret user intents, streamline user experience, and ensure asset security and self-management through keyless wallets. Combining account abstraction with MPC-TSS technology, Self Chain provides secure signatures and low-fee transactions, enhancing the security and usability of blockchain interactions.

Self Chain (SLF) is a rebranded version of Frontier (FRONT), evolving from a wallet project into a Layer 1 blockchain based on Cosmos-SDK, with new tokenomics designed. The total supply of SLF is 360 million tokens, with 36 million permanently locked for foundation nodes, 90 million migrated from FRONT to SLF, 10 million allocated to new investors as validators (with an 18-month lockup period), 36 million assigned to equity investors (with a 36-month lockup period), 30 million reserved for the core team (with a 6-year lockup period), and 68 million designated for the ecosystem (released at a rate of 1.5 million per month).

Solvers Protocol

Solvers Protocol is an infrastructure designed for solvers and intent protocols, offering cross-chain capabilities. It has launched Solverscan, a data retrieval platform specifically tailored for solvers and intent protocols. Currently, it supports CowSwap, UniswapX, and 1inch Fusion. Each solver has its own dedicated analytics dashboard to track performance over time. Future plans include integrating more intent protocols into the ecosystem.

SUAVE
SUAVE, developed by Flashbots, aims to achieve comprehensive decentralization of block building by separating the mempool and block builder roles within the blockchain. SUAVE will implement its strategic objectives in three phases, ultimately creating an “intent-centric” blockchain ecosystem. In July of last year, Flashbots completed a $60 million Series B funding round with a valuation of $1 billion. This funding will be used to develop the SUAVE platform, which enables users to “transact more affordably and privately on the blockchain.”

In August of this year, SUAVE launched its first public testnet, Toliman. Toliman allows developers to build tools such as intent systems, auctions, and AI agents, leveraging two new features: EIP-712 signature transactions and high-performance computing capabilities provided by TEE Kettle. These features not only enhance user experience but also offer decentralized application developers more flexible order flow control and privacy protection.

Intent-Based Solutions for Specific Functions

DeFi

Aperture Finance
Aperture Finance is an AI-driven platform that simplifies DeFi operations through intent-based technology. In May of this year, Aperture Finance raised $6.7 million in Series A funding, valuing the company at $250 million. The round was led by Skyland Ventures, with participation from Alchemy and others. The new funds will be used to develop infrastructure, expand the network, and enhance user experience. The native token, APTR, was listed on trading platforms like Bybit at the end of May.

According to the roadmap released by Aperture Finance, comprehensive liquidity tool support and intent functionality for Aerodrome Slipstream on the Base network are expected to be available in Q3 of this year. Additionally, a system will be developed to provide data analytics for liquidity positions managed by Aperture, both at the position level and across positions, to better understand and optimize liquidity conditions.

DEX

1inch Fusion
1inch Fusion is an intent-based trading model introduced by 1inch Network. It transforms users’ trading needs (i.e., intents) into actual trades without requiring users to manually configure complex trade details.

Fusion combines 1inch’s limit order protocol and aggregation protocol, leveraging a decentralized trading and matching system. It introduces professional market makers (Resolvers) to provide both centralized and decentralized liquidity. In the Fusion model, Resolvers complete user orders and cover Gas fees. Users sign off-chain orders (intents) on the 1inch platform, specifying assets, quantities, prices, and time frames. These intents are then sent to the Resolvers network, where Resolvers compete to execute the orders through a Dutch auction format, starting from a high price and gradually decreasing. The first Resolver to accept the order wins. Once executed, the transaction is settled on-chain without user intervention.

UniswapX
UniswapX introduces an intent-centric trading architecture focused on simplifying the user experience. Users only need to specify their trading goals (e.g., “swap X Token for as many Y Tokens as possible”) without delving into the complexities of trade execution. This architecture combines off-chain smart matching with on-chain execution to ensure a transparent and efficient trading process. After users submit their trading intents, the system posts them to an order book service cluster. Professional fillers scan multiple liquidity pools, analyze data in real-time, and predict price trends to provide optimal quotes and execute on-chain trades. This mechanism enhances trading efficiency and ensures transparency throughout the trading process.

Shogun
Shogun is an intent-based DeFi protocol designed to maximize traders’ Extractable Value (TEV) through optimized order flow and comprehensive chain abstraction. In May, Shogun’s developer, Intensity Labs, completed a $6.9 million seed round with Polychain Capital and DAO5 leading, and participation from Arrington Capital, Arthur Hayes, and others. The round was structured as a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) with attached token warrants, bringing Shogun’s fully diluted token valuation to $69 million. In February of the same year, Binance Labs included Shogun in its S6 (Incubation Season 6) initial incubation projects.

Derivatives

IntentX
IntentX, a next-generation OTC derivatives exchange, offers perpetual futures trading. The platform integrates cutting-edge technologies such as cross-chain communication, account abstraction, and SYMMIO to achieve full-chain deployment, reduce fees, enhance liquidity and capital efficiency, and improve scalability. IntentX employs an intent-based architecture, moving away from traditional order book and vAMM models. It allows traders to express trading intents, which are executed by external solvers. In February of this year, IntentX announced a strategic funding round raising $1.8 million, led by Selini Capital with participation from Orbs, Mantle Ecofund, and others. This funding aims to strengthen IntentX’s partnerships with market makers and the DeFi ecosystem.

According to the official roadmap released by IntentX, future enhancements will include account abstraction and real-time trading features.

Perpetual Hub
In May of this year, the Layer3 blockchain Orbs launched Perpetual Hub, an on-chain perpetual futures trading solution based on intent. Developed in collaboration with THENA, SYMMIO, and IntentX, Perpetual Hub utilizes Orbs’ L3 technology to provide traders with the tools needed to execute on-chain perpetual futures trades at CeFi-level performance. Perpetual Hub supports on-chain perpetual futures trading and includes services such as Hedger, Liquidator, and Price Oracle.

SYMMIO
SYMMIO is a global derivatives settlement layer with a modular and intent-centric design. By using bilaterally isolated instances, SYMMIO enables builders and market makers to issue high-liquidity derivatives on-chain, mitigating systemic risk. Our design optimizes pre-market pricing. There is no need to lock up capital. It operates based on intent at the execution layer and ensures a highly secure settlement process. SYMMIO creates a free market environment where market makers, solvers, oracles, intent providers, and DEXs can compete and collaborate to build a global risk settlement layer.

Wallets MetaMask
In January of this year, MetaMask began testing a feature called “transaction routing,” designed to provide optimal execution and enhance user experience. This technology, developed by the Special Mechanism Group, was acquired by MetaMask’s parent company, ConsenSys, last year. “Transaction routing” will transform the MetaMask wallet into an intent-centric protocol, allowing users to rely on third parties to find the best path for their transactions.

Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocols Owlto Finance

Owlto Finance is an intent-centric cross-chain interoperability protocol and a comprehensive cross-chain bridge, currently integrated with over 45 networks across the BTC, ETH, and SOL ecosystems. In May of this year, Owlto Finance announced the completion of an $8 million strategic funding round, led jointly by Bixin Ventures and CE Innovation Capital, with participation from Presto, GSR, and others. In July, Owlto Finance announced another round of funding at a $150 million valuation, with participation from Matrixport and others.

AI

Optopia

Optopia is an AI-driven, intent-centric Layer 2 network that supports permissionless intent creation. By leveraging token economics to drive AI agents in executing intents, Optopia builds an intelligent and active Layer 2 network that simplifies Web3 operations, lowers the entry barriers for users, and unlocks the potential of Web3. In May of this year, Optopia completed its seed round of funding, with participation from G·Ventures, Kucoin Ventures, and others. In July, Optopia announced its tokenomics for OPAI. The total supply of Optopia’s native token OPAI is 10 billion, with 50% reserved for the Booster Event, 25% allocated for ecosystem rewards, 10% for the community, 7% for early investors, 5% for the market, and 3% for liquidity. 10% of the total supply will be allocated to the participants of the first phase of the Booster Event at the Token Generation Event (TGE).

On-Chain Tools

Khalani Network

Khalani is a decentralized solver platform aimed at enhancing the Web3 user experience within the blockchain ecosystem. Through a multi-chain collaborative network, Khalani connects solvers and intent applications, addressing issues such as liquidity fragmentation, complex user experiences, and inefficient transaction executions. The platform significantly reduces the cost of building and operating solvers, empowering developers to create intent-driven applications. In August, Khalani completed a $2.5 million seed round of funding, led by Ethereal Ventures with participation from Nascent, Arthur Hayes, and others.

Conclusion

The concept of “intent-centric” is increasingly being applied across various aspects of the blockchain sector, including cross-chain transactions, crypto infrastructure, DeFi, modular blockchains, data sharing, and wallets with cross-chain interoperability. By simplifying processes, optimizing user experiences, and enhancing efficiency, intent-based projects are driving innovation and growth in the Web3 ecosystem. As more projects emerge and technology continues to mature, the “intent-centric” concept is expected to play a significant role in the Web3 space, providing digital users with more convenient and efficient application experiences.

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