Aligned Layer launched ALIGN by depositing 7 million tokens into the ALIGN/USDC liquidity pool on Aerodrome, a decentralized exchange on Base. The deposit was made on Aug. 20, 2026, the day of ALIGN’s token generation event, and is intended to encourage veAERO holders to direct voting emissions toward the pool. Aligned Layer is developing a decentralized ZK verification layer (zero-knowledge proof processing) on EigenLayer for Ethereum, allowing rollups and other scaling systems to share verification infrastructure instead of building separate systems. ALIGN governs protocol decisions and is being used to incentivize Aerodrome liquidity. Aerodrome uses a vote-escrow model in which AERO holders lock tokens as veAERO and vote on pools receiving emissions. ALIGN has a maximum supply of 10 billion tokens, with about 16%, or approximately 1.6 billion, circulating at launch. The 7 million-token incentive allocation is intended to bootstrap tradable liquidity. Aerodrome acknowledged the token and marked it ready to trade, while ALIGN also secured centralized-exchange listings including MEXC. The token fell sharply soon after trading began, and future unlocks could add selling pressure. The strategy reflects a broader DeFi practice pioneered by Curve, refined by Velodrome on Optimism and brought to Base by Aerodrome. Its success will depend on whether incentives can support a self-sustaining liquidity base, since vote-escrow markets require protocols to compete for emissions each epoch.