The 1inch token is used as a governance token for the 1inch network, which is a decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator that connects multiple DEXes into one platform, and allows its users to find the most efficient swapping routes across all platforms. 1inch allows traders to source the best liquidity options and rates from different exchanges without having to check them manually.
1inch was founded by Sergej Kunz and Anton Bukov, and was launched in 2020. It is backed by several influential investors, including Binance Labs, Galaxy Digital, Greenfield One, Libertus Capital, and Dragonfly Capital. The network is governed by a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).

The Balancer cryptocurrency is the reward token that fuels the Balancer market maker protocol. The Balancer protocol serves as a liquidity provider and a non-custodial portfolio manager. Unlike other automatic market maker protocols, such as Uniswap, Balancer is designed to provide a general solution that can be customized for a variety of trading pools with different distributions. It uses smart order routing to send trades to trading pools with the best rates available, and rewards traders by paying them a fee for increasing the liquidity of these pools.