Uniswap is a decentralised protocol that acts as an automated market maker for peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transactions. It enables users to provide liquidity and swap cryptocurrencies on the Ethereum blockchain.
Uniswap operates on the Ethereum blockchain, leveraging smart contracts to execute decentralised token swaps. It uses a constant product formula (x * y = k) to maintain the balance of liquidity in its pools and ensure seamless trading. The protocol charges a fee for every transaction, which is collected and distributed to liquidity providers.
Uniswap facilitates decentralised trading, enabling users to perform peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries. It allows users to create and provide liquidity to pools, participate in governance through UNI token voting, and engage in algorithmic trading. Additionally, it's used by various DeFi platforms for decentralised trading and liquidity provision and has partnerships to bring DeFi liquidity to institutional investors.
Uniswap was founded by Hayden Adams in 2018. The first version (v1) was launched in November 2018. Uniswap v2 introduced new features in May 2020, followed by v3 in May 2021, which featured concentrated liquidity and multiple fee tiers. It surpassed $2 trillion in trading volume as of April 2024. The expiration of the Business Source License (BSL) for v3 in April 2023 allowed for the emergence of forks like Maia V3. Uniswap has since expanded its presence across multiple blockchains.