Anton Bukov’s Departure from 1inch

Anton Bukov’s departure from 1inch Network and the launch of Second Tier (tier.xyz) marks a significant shift in the DeFi landscape, moving from established DEX aggregation toward "intent-centric" infrastructure. While Bukov remains a 50% shareholder in 1inch, he has had no operational involvement since December 2025, following a strategic split with co-founder Sergej Kunz [Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/1inch-co-founder-anton-bukov-leaves-launches-second-tier].

Anton Bukov’s Departure from 1inch

The departure was publicly announced on July 16, 2026, though Bukov was operationally removed in late November 2025 [Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/1inch-co-founder-anton-bukov-leaves-launches-second-tier]. The split was driven by diverging philosophies: Kunz has steered 1inch toward institutional and TradFi integrations (such as the October 2025 Coinbase integration), while Bukov advocates for "DeFi purism" and systems without middlemen [Source: https://ambcrypto.com/1inch-co-founder-anton-bukov-leaves-to-start-second-tier/].

Second Tier: Mission and Impact

Second Tier is positioned as a foundational infrastructure layer rather than a direct competitor to 1inch's consumer-facing aggregator. Its primary goal is to bridge the gap between "economic intent and its execution" [Source: https://tier.xyz].

• Strategic Focus: The project emphasizes "intent-based" execution, where users define a desired outcome and the protocol handles the technical complexity without friction or middlemen [Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/1inch-co-founder-anton-bukov-leaves-launches-second-tier].
• Mission Statement: The project manifesto states they are "building second tier architectures that turn the economically possible into the technically accessible" [Note: The exact phrasing "close the distance between economic intent and execution" is a related but slightly different interpretation found in some reports] [Source: https://tier.xyz].
• Development Status: As of July 2026, Second Tier is in a pre-launch phase. There is currently no live product or publicly disclosed funding [Note: Not independently confirmed] [Source: https://cryptoslate.com/1inch-co-founder-anton-bukov-departs-to-launch-second-tier/].

Comparative Trajectory

The impact of this transition suggests a bifurcation of the original 1inch vision:

The departure removes Bukov’s technical leadership from 1inch—where he previously led product architecture and security—potentially accelerating 1inch's transition into a regulated, institutional service provider while Second Tier attempts to innovate on the "intent" layer of decentralized finance [Source: https://thedefiant.io/news/defi/1inch-co-founder-anton-bukov-exits-to-launch-new-venture].

Conclusion: Second Tier is expected to impact the DeFi ecosystem by advancing intent-centric infrastructure, while 1inch continues its pivot toward institutional adoption. The exact market impact of Second Tier remains speculative until a product launch or funding round is confirmed.