Dromos Labs, the developer behind the decentralized exchanges Aerodrome and Velodrome, is merging the two platforms into a single DEX called Aero.
According to a press release shared with The Defiant, the upgrade will expand Aerodrome’s Base-based platform to additional networks, starting with Ethereum mainnet and Circle’s Arc, while Base will remain the primary hub for the unified platform.
“Aerodrome has been successful on Base and is excited to expand to effectively service other Ethereum networks via Aero,” Alexander Cutler, founder and chief executive officer of Dromos Labs, said in the press release. The company gave a launch window of Q2 2026, but didn’t provide a specific date.
How Aero Works
To power the unified DEX, Dromos Labs is introducing its upgraded operating system, METADEX03, designed to reduce value leakage, lower costs, and improve trading efficiency across Ethereum-compatible networks.
METADEX03 adds features such as Slipstream V3, which captures value usually lost to arbitrage bots, and MetaSwaps, which enables cross-chain trading from a single interface, according to the release.
At launch, Aero will operate across all chains where Aerodrome and Velodrome are currently deployed, alongside several new ones including Ethereum and Circle’s Layer 1, Arc, recently launched in testnet.
New Token for Aero
In commentary to The Defiant, Luis A. de la Cerda, executive director of the Aerodrome and Velodrome foundations, said that the upgrade will also introduce a new native token for Aero. Holders of AERO and VELO tokens will be able to transition to the new token, which will manage governance, rewards, and incentives across the unified platform.
“By linking all of EVM under one token, Aero can operate at a scale no other token has ever reached, concentrating the full power of MetaDEX03 to generate, capture, and coordinate on chain economic activity,” De la Cerda told The Defiant.
De la Cerda added that while the existing Aerodrome and Velodrome protocols will remain functional, they “will no longer be supported after Aero’s launch.”
Aerodrome vs. Velodrome
Launched in August 2023 on Coinbase’s Layer 2 Base network, Aerodrome has grown to become the largest DEX on the network by trading volume.
Top-5 DEXs on Base. Source: DefiLlama
At press time, the platform is holding $475.9 million in total value locked (TVL), making it the fourth-largest protocol on Base by TVL, per data from DefiLlama.
Velodrome, meanwhile, was launched in 2022 for Optimism’s Superchain ecosystem and currently has almost $39 million in TVL, making it the third-largest protocol on OP Mainnet.
Top-5 protocols on OP Mainnet by TVL. Source: DefiLlama
The platforms’ native tokens, AERO and VELO, are both up 30%-40% over the past week, but down 50% and 88% respectively from their December 2024 all-time highs, according to CoinGecko.
Last month, Aerodrome’s token surged when Animoca Brands, one of Asia’s top web3 game development and investment firms, announced it had market bought an undisclosed sum of AERO for long-term holding and staking.
