Aero launches October 21, 2026, with seven chains including Arbitrum and Robinhood Chain

Aero, the cross-chain decentralized exchange born from the merger of Aerodrome and Velodrome, has set October 21, 2026, as its launch date across seven EVM-compatible chains. The deployment will span Base, Ethereum Mainnet, OP Mainnet, Arc, Ink, Robinhood Chain, and Arbitrum.

The protocol’s existing predecessors, Aerodrome and Velodrome, already account for roughly 17% of all EVM spot trading volume.

Seven chains, one liquidity layer

The inclusion of Robinhood Chain and Arbitrum in the launch roster was confirmed on September 25, 2026. Robinhood Chain, an Arbitrum Orbit network that went live on mainnet on July 1, 2026, brings tokenized stock products to the deployment.

At its core, Aero functions as a unified liquidity layer. The protocol uses what its developer, Dromos Labs, calls MetaDEX03 technology to enable cross-chain token swaps through a feature branded as Metaswaps.

The Aerodrome-Velodrome merger

Aero represents the formal unification of two protocols that already dominated their respective chains. Aerodrome was the leading DEX on Base, while Velodrome held a similar position on OP Mainnet.

Under Aero, a single AERO token replaces the previously separate governance and incentive structures. The protocol’s economic model promises to distribute 100% of exchange revenue to AERO stakers. No private sales were conducted for the token.

The governance system incorporates what the protocol calls Predictive Allocation, where sAERO holders (staked AERO) direct rewards to liquidity pools. Aero also enables permissionless token launches, allowing any project to create and list a token without needing approval from the protocol team.

Pre-launch momentum and security

Aero Lite, a stripped-down version of the protocol designed for early liquidity infrastructure, has already been deployed on Arc. The protocol ran a public audit contest that closed with zero major issues identified. The protocol has also introduced liquidity launchpad programs designed to bootstrap trading pairs and attract early liquidity providers.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.