Aerodrome Finance (AERO) is a next-generation automated market maker (AMM) and decentralized exchange (DEX) designed to serve as the principal liquidity hub on the Base blockchain, a layer-2 solution developed by Coinbase. Aerodrome’s primary goal is to facilitate seamless token swaps, generate trading fees, and attract significant liquidity within the Base ecosystem, all while offering a powerful governance structure for its users.
"We will be integrating DEXs from @base directly into the main @coinbase app, enabling Coinbase users to access and trade millions of assets onchain."
Aerodrome's best-in-class trading execution will soon be coming to millions of @coinbase users. The world is coming onchain. 🛫 pic.twitter.com/O6tpIlt0oW
— Aerodrome (@AerodromeFi) June 12, 2025
Unlike traditional DEXs, Aerodrome employs a dual-token model: AERO (for utility and rewards) and veAERO (for governance rights) and redirects 100% of trading fees to users who lock their AERO tokens, incentivizing active participation and allowing the community to steer the protocol’s future.
Aerodrome Finance launched on August, 2023, emerging as an evolution of the Velodrome V2 protocol. Its launch aimed to quickly position Aerodrome as the backbone of Base’s liquidity infrastructure by integrating a sophisticated liquidity incentive engine and a vote-lock governance model
How Does Aerodrome Work?
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Automated Market Maker (AMM): Users provide liquidity to pools and, in return, earn rewards and fees from trading activity on the exchange.
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Token Swaps: Aerodrome enables efficient, low-slippage swaps between tokens within the Base ecosystem.
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Incentives: Liquidity providers (LPs) are rewarded with AERO emissions. The specific pools that receive higher emissions are determined through a governance voting process.
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Governance: By locking up AERO tokens, users obtain veAERO NFTs, which represent their voting power in deciding future emissions and distributions. All trading fees are distributed to veAERO holders, not LPs, aligning long-term interests.
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Epoch-Based Rewards: Emissions and rewards are distributed in time-based “epochs,” and LPs benefit based on how pools are voted on by veAERO holders.
Tokenomics: The AERO Token
Aerodrome Finance’s native token, AERO, plays a vital role in the protocol’s ecosystem, supporting liquidity incentives, governance, and rewards. Below is a snapshot of the latest tokenomics and market statistics as of late July 2025:

Source: CoinMarketCap
Metric | Value |
---|---|
Price | $0.9019 |
Market Cap | $778.92 million |
24-hour Trading Volume | $29.17 million (-ve 26%) |
Fully Diluted Market Cap | $1.53 billion |
Number of Holders | 627,630 |
Circulating Supply | 863.59 million AERO |
Total Supply | 1.69 billion AERO |
Max Supply | Unlimited |
Volume / Market Cap (24h) | 3.72% |
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AERO is the native utility and rewards token of Aerodrome Finance. Users earn AERO by providing liquidity to various pools on the platform. These tokens can also be locked to obtain veAERO, aligning incentives between liquidity providers and long-term governance participants.
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veAERO is a special ERC-721 NFT received when users lock AERO tokens. Holding veAERO grants voting rights in protocol governance, access to trading fee rewards, and influence over how emissions and incentives are distributed across liquidity pools.
Tokenomics Structure and Incentive Mechanism
Aerodrome’s tokenomics are uniquely designed to foster active community participation and sustainable growth:
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Liquidity Provider Rewards: AERO emissions are distributed as rewards to liquidity providers, incentivizing consistent liquidity provisioning on the platform.
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Governance Fee Sharing: All trading fees collected by the platform are exclusively distributed to veAERO holders, encouraging long-term token locking and protocol governance involvement.
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Supply Considerations: With a total supply of 1.69 billion AERO and over half currently circulating, the token benefits from strong liquidity. However, its unlimited max supply requires ongoing monitoring to manage potential dilution through future emissions.
This dual-token framework creates a balanced ecosystem where liquidity provision and governance participation complement each other, driving both user engagement and protocol resilience.
What Makes Aerodrome Unique?
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Meta DEX Structure: Combines several advanced liquidity mechanisms into a unified protocol.
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100% Fee Redistribution: Unlike many exchanges that share fees with LPs, Aerodrome gives all trading fees to locked (governance) holders, fostering loyalty and governance activity.
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Built for Base: As the official liquidity hub of the Base blockchain, Aerodrome supports essential pools for ETH, BTC, and more, helping drive adoption for Coinbase’s scaling solution.
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Open Governance: Anyone can participate in governance by locking AERO for veAERO, with influence proportional to their locked stake.
Latest AERO Developments (as of July 2025)
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Steady Growth: Aerodrome has consistently expanded its user base, now with over 627,000 holders and a substantial increase in total value locked and traded.
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Market Movements: The price grew 15.57% over the last month, recently stabilizing around the $0.90 level. The platform saw increased trading volume and liquidity as DeFi activity accelerated on Base.
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Protocol Upgrades: Aerodrome has continued refining its interface, optimizing emissions schedules, and securing smart contracts through regular audits, ensuring a robust and secure experience.
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Competitive Position: Aerodrome frequently rivals major exchanges in volume for Base assets and continues to champion a transparent, community-driven ethos.
Aerodrome Finance is at the forefront of DeFi innovation on Coinbase’s Base network. By pioneering community-driven incentives, an advanced liquidity incentive engine, and giving all trading fee revenue to committed holders, Aerodrome is shaping itself as a truly democratic and sustainable DEX. Its trajectory suggests it will remain a cornerstone protocol for Base and a major player in the wider DeFi space, provided it continues addressing governance, security, and adoption challenges
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