This FAQ will provide an overview on unlock - we will populate it with questions we think our relevant and Will can also populate with anything from the form and publish at unlock day. If you have a question you think should be added to the FAQ or are just curious about, please feel free to post in it in the forum.
- What is the iFi DEX and why does Althea L1 have its own DEX?
- How can I participate in Liquid Infrastructure, building networks, and tokenized infrastructure?
- What is the incentive structure on iFi DEX for liquidity providers?
- Is iFi DEX where I can swap into the Althea token?
- What are the rewards for staking Althea?
- Why can’t I select one of the top-ten validators on Althea.Link ?
- Can I acquire ALTHEA using Knockout liquidity? How does that work?
- Is this the grand launch of the Althea token? I haven’t seen many announcements!
- I am having trouble with bridging or using Althea.Link? Where do I go to get help?
- I’d like to propose another bridge or integration or I work with a blockchain service provider, how should I go about that?
- Where can I learn more about governance or participate in voting?
- Where can I learn more about roadmaps or what’s being built?
- I would like to provide liquidity on the iFi DEX. How do I do that? If I LP, what swap fees will I earn?
- How do I make a new liquidity pool on the iFi DEX? How do I mint a new token on Althea L1? How can I use Liquid Infrastructure with my blockchain project. Where do I go to get started and learn more?
What is the iFi DEX and why does Althea L1 have its own DEX?
Althea L1 is designed with a focus on Infrastructure Finance (iFi), an emerging category of blockchain applications that combines concepts from DeFi (Decentralized Finance), Physical Infrastructure, and RWA (on-chain Real World Assets). The iFi DEX is a decentralized exchange (DEX) that is built to meet the needs of not only DeFi on Althea L1 but also machine to machine payments (M2M) and autonomous devices and agents.
A hypothetical example: an Althea network in Europe might use EURC whereas in the United States, a network might rely on USDC or USDS. A customer with one or the other token could seamlessly switch from one network to another, while the iFi DEX performs the necessary conversions automatically, in real time.
How can I participate in Liquid Infrastructure, building networks, and tokenized infrastructure?
If you’d like to participate in Liquid Infrastructure, please fill out the Althea’s Liquid Infrastructure VIP Invitation form.
What is the incentive structure on iFi DEX for liquidity providers?
At launch, incentives will exist in the form of swap fees paid by users of the iFi DEX. Due to the liquidity efficient nature of the iFi DEX, there is no need to additionally incentivize liquidity at this first phase of the go-to-market process of the Althea L1 ecosystem. The amount of liquidity required for everyday operation can be entirely funded by fees.
The iFi does have the capability to provide liquidity incentives for certain pools. This may be implemented in the future at the request of on-chain governance.
Is iFi DEX where I can swap into the Althea token?
The iFi DEX will launch with an Althea/USDC liquidity pool, which will enable you to swap USDC for Althea, so you can certainly acquire Althea from the iFi DEX. This will be necessary to acquire the ALTHEA tokens needed to pay fees in the Althea L1 EVM and interact with DeFi applications, like Liquid Infrastructure, hosted on Althea L1.
What are the rewards for staking ALTHEA?
Users are rewarded for staking ALTHEA in two ways: inflationary rewards (in the form of ALTHEA tokens) and ecosystem transaction fee distributions (typically in the form of stable tokens such as USDC, USDS, or similar).
Inflationary rewards distribute new tokens, generated through inflation, to users who stake Althea based on how much they stake. The current staking APR of the Althea L1 blockchain is 18.62% which is both adjusted through governance and will vary depending on the total number of tokens staked.
The primary reward or incentive for staking Althea comes in the form of payment-token (e.g. USDC or USDS) transaction fee distribution. The Althea L1 blockchain constantly captures transaction fees from every microtransaction across networks, spectrum and metered infrastructure. These are paid in whatever payment token the infrastructure or network is utilizing, and these fees are distributed to Althea stakers.
In addition to the aforementioned rewards, stakers of the Althea token can also participate in network governance and help steer the future of the chain and ecosystem.
Why can’t I select one of the top-ten validators on Althea.Link ?
The Althea.Link UI automatically filters out the top-10 validators, according to voting weight. This is to encourage an even spread of token delegations across the validator set, benefiting both validators and the health of the chain.
Centralization of the voting weight makes for an unhealthy chain. If most users delegate to the same top validators, those validators gain outsized influence. By filtering them out, the UI nudges users toward less popular validators, widening the validator set, leading to a better distrubtion of delegations across the validator set.
A more distributed set of validators strengthens network resilience and security. Another benefit is ecosystem fairness, giving smaller validators a chance to grow and participate, promoting healthier competition and participation. This policy isn’t just a UI quirk—it’s an intentional design decision rooted in decentralized network principles.
Can I acquire ALTHEA using Knockout liquidity? How does that work?
Knockout liquidity is a feature of the iFi dex that allows buyers or sellers to execute limit orders as liquidity, rather than experiencing potentially high slippage (loss in value on exchange) the user can create a knockout position. A knockout position generally works like a limit order, in that it takes time to be filled and may be filled in part by several normal trades.
The creator of the knockout position trades quick execution for efficient execution of their trade. In order to use knockout liquidity go to the swap page on Althea.Link and select the “limit order” tab.
Is this the grand launch of the Althea token? I haven’t seen many announcements!
Althea L1 is a platform for machine to machine payments and infrastructure finance. From the chain’s initial launch in March 2024 the goal has been a measured deployment process that helps infrastructure projects use Althea L1. Unlocking the chain, and iFi dex deployment is the next step in the deployment process with a focus on getting users and infrastructure on the chain.
So while this is a momentous occasion, it should be seen as a step in the grander scheme of ecosystem deployment. You can see the foundation roadmap for more.
I am having trouble with bridging or using Althea.Link? Where do I go to get help?
The best place to find real-time support when using the iFi DEX is Althea L1’s official Discord server.
Here is a Discord invite link you can use to join the server.
All support is provided in the open, never via direct message. Only official moderators will provide support and they will never ask for your private keys or other information. Never respond to anyone who directly messages you regarding any questions you might have and never share your private keys with anyone or visit any external support sites or any sites other than Althea.Link.
I’d like to propose another bridge or integration or I work with a blockchain service provider, how should I go about that?
A great place to start would be making a post/inquiry on the Althea L1 forum in the integrations category. After doing so, please also feel free to join the Althea L1 Discord server and reach out as well.
Where can I learn more about governance or participate in voting?
A great place to start is the ALTHEA FORUM in the Althea L1 blockchain governance section.
For a quick overview of governance and network participation, you might also take a look at the network governance doc, in the Althea L1 documentation page.
For more discussion, join the Althea L1 Discord server and check out the #governance channel.
Where can I learn more about roadmaps or what’s being built?
You will find the current Althea Foundation roadmap in a post on the Althea forum. If you have any questions, you are encouraged to add to the conversation there.
While updates are regularly posted on Althea’s X account, you might also join the conversation by joinging the Althea L1 Discord server.
I would like to provide liquidity on the iFi DEX. How do I do that? If I LP, what swap fees will I earn?
Before the Althea L1 iFi DEX is live, detailed instructions will be found here in the Althea docs, which will replace the testnet instructions. The process however is fairly straightforward.
The user will visit Althea.Link and select “Pools” from the top menu bar and then click on “add LP” to the pool you’d like to contribute liquidity to. The actual swap fee per pool will vary and is adjusted through governance, though the projected APY return for each pool will be displayed alongside each pool on the iFi DEX.
How do I make a new liquidity pool on the iFi DEX? How do I mint a new token on Althea L1? How can I use Liquid Infrastructure with my blockchain project. Where do I go to get started and learn more?
Creating a new liquidty pool on the Althea L1 iFi DEX is permissionless, but adding the pool to the UI requires intervention from someone on the Althea L1 team. We would ask that you reach out via email or in the Althea L1 Discord server before creating a new LP.
That said, instructions on this process, as well as minting new tokens or integrating your project with Liquid Infrastructure will be added to the Althea docs when the iFi is live.
To learn more about integrating your project with Liquid Infrastructure, we would recommend reaching out by filling out the Liquid Infrastructure VIP form.