Uniswap’s Next Chapter: Growing v4 & Unichain Liquidity with Merkl

Today marks the launch of a major liquidity incentive program to drive adoption and fuel growth for Uniswap v4 and Unichain.

Uniswap is entering a new chapter and Merkl is proud to support this evolution by powering the distribution of rewards designed to attract liquidity providers (LPs), traders, and builders across the ecosystem.

Uniswap’s new chapter: incentivizing growth across v4 and Unichain

2025 is a landmark year for the Uniswap ecosystem. With the arrival of Uniswap v4, and the launch of Unichain, the protocol is doubling down on its goal to become the foundational infrastructure for digital value transfer across EVM chains.

But growth at this scale doesn’t just happen — it must be activated. That’s where Merkl comes in!

Backed by Gauntlet’s multi-chain and protocol experience driving strategic growth and optimizing incentive programs through dynamic management, Uniswap is launching two strategic liquidity incentive programs designed to:

• Accelerate the migration of total value locked (TVL) to Uniswap v4 across Ethereum, Arbitrum, and Base.
• Bootstrap liquidity and activity on Unichain, with the goal of positioning it among the top 5 revenue-generating chains by the end of the year.

These campaigns will be rolled out in two-week tranches, with monthly performance reports and a flexible, onchain funding mechanism via Aera, a non-custodial treasury management protocol. Uniswap Governance retains full control over unused funds, ensuring capital efficiency and accountability.

Earn UNI token rewards now →

Why incentivize?

In today’s hyper-competitive DeFi landscape, deep, sticky liquidity is the lifeblood of any AMM or chain. It draws in swappers, developers, and integrators — and creates the network effects necessary for long-term success. Campaigns from peers like ZKsync and Optimism have shown that targeted incentives, paired with rigorous, data-driven dynamic optimization, can significantly accelerate early traction. With Uniswap v4 and Unichain now live, these campaigns aim to do the same — but in a smarter, more adaptive way.

Merkl’s role: streamlining and scaling incentives

As the incentive manager for Uniswap for years, Merkl plays a central role in ensuring that this program runs smoothly, transparently, and at scale.

Here’s how Merkl is making it happen:

• Transparent, onchain distribution

All incentive campaigns are fully visible and trackable via the Merkl app, giving LPs real-time insight into eligible pools, rewards, and expected yields. Each campaign is designed and adjusted every two weeks by Gauntlet based on market conditions, and Merkl handles the seamless distribution of rewards.

• Cross-chain incentive management

Uniswap v4 operates across different environments and chains. With Merkl’s cross-chain infrastructure, distributing incentives across multiple EVM networks becomes effortless — allowing the program to scale wherever Uniswap’s users go.

• Precision targeting with Merkl

Thanks to Merkl’s advanced customization options, Gauntlet can define precise reward conditions (e.g., only rewarding LPs who supply through aggregators or meet certain thresholds) and avoid common inefficiencies like mercenary farming or looping. This ensures that incentives go to users who are truly contributing to protocol growth.

• No code integration for Uniswap and Gauntlet

Uniswap and Gauntlet don’t need to develop anything to distribute rewards. Merkl’s fast, easy-to-use API lets Uniswap show APRs and add rewards claiming directly in its app — for a smooth, integrated user experience.

This incentive program marks a significant step forward for Uniswap — and Merkl is proud to support it. By combining Uniswap’s innovative architecture with Gauntlet’s protocol optimization expertise and Merkl’s robust incentive distribution infrastructure, the ecosystem is setting a new standard for capital-efficient, data-driven liquidity growth.

To explore the active campaigns and track their results, head over to the Merkl App.