While centralized exchanges (CEXs) are the go-to trading venue for most crypto enthusiasts, investors, and traders, more and more traders are moving towards decentralized (DEX) aggregators to leverage the best available rates for token swaps. In fact, trading volumes on some of the most popular DEX aggregators have skyrocketed over the past few weeks. A recent report by Dune Analytics indicates that DEX aggregators like ParaSwap, 1inch, and 0x are witnessing a significant uptick in execution volumes, with a cumulative weekly all-time high of $6 billion traded during the first week of December alone. While each aggregator has contributed to reaching this new milestone, 1inch leads the pack in market share, sitting at 55%. 0x, another prominent DEX aggregator, rests at 42%. The 0x Tracker shows that the platform has processed transactions worth $3 billion in volume over the last week. A DEX aggregator is primarily designed to offer customers better exchange rates than any other exchange platform, with the lowest latency or transaction execution time possible. The reason behind this exceptional growth of DEX aggregators is that these platforms enable traders to review the tokens listed across several DEXs from a single interface, helping them attain the best swap rates at any given time. Additionally, DEX aggregators aim to protect consumers from cost effects and reduce the likelihood of transaction failure - all of which work in favor of traders. Over the last couple of years, the number of targeted attacks on CEXs and the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem has shattered all records. Hundreds of reports about hacked exchanges and platforms are regularly making the rounds. Accordingly, the market is filled with renewed trust issues. For instance, Bitmart, one of the leading exchanges, recently lost $200 million from its hot wallet hosted over Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain. The hack was a straightforward case of transfer-out, swap, and wash. As such, the demand for robust smart contracts with built-in security and trust features reflects the need of the hour. This is where DEX aggregators and escrow smart contracts come into the picture. These platforms address the trust problems that have infested the cryptoverse of late, all while ensuring better rates, security, and ease of access for all.   The Fully-Equipped DEX Aggregator For Solana Atani has launched its newest Atani DEX Aggregator, dubbed the most advanced trading terminal equipped with a wide range of built-in tools on Solana. This gateway is emerging as one of the strongest DEX aggregators since it eliminates friction from fragmentation and provides a remarkable trading experience. The Atani DEX aggregator will include many valuable features, including advanced orders like stop orders, limit orders, and one-cancels-the-other (OCO), and take-profit, among others. The aggregator will also offer advanced technical analysis, integrated with premium TradingView at no cost, thereby granting users access to more than 80 indicators, over 50 customizable charts, and more. Furthermore, the DEX aggregator will also include a portfolio tracker, alerts across multiple channels (SMS, email, phone), tax reporting solutions, alongside seamless interoperability with other platforms like Phantom, Sollet, and Solflare. The DEX Aggregator leverages Solana and Serum to deliver ultra-fast processing and trading speeds to confirm orders placed in real-time rapidly. To top it all, the Atani DEX aggregator also includes premium security and privacy features and a freemium model whereby 95% of all the built-in tools available are free to use.   Escrow Smart Contracts For The Global Web3 Marketplace Meanwhile, in another attempt to address the drawbacks of trading venue centralization, decentralized escrow solution provider, Smartlink, has introduced a new Trust-as-a-Service model for the entire Web3 market. The platform is going to launch its escrow smart contracts functionality for commercial transactions on the Tezos blockchain. Smartlink’s escrow contracts will enable anyone to easily create “enforceable” escrow smart contracts to buy and sell products and services for cryptocurrencies securely. A wide range of fully customizable “purchase agreements” are included in the platform’s template library, helping users create an escrow smart contract without any coding experience quickly. Just like regular transactions, crypto transactions are pestered by challenges related to security, trust, and fraudulent activities. As the global adoption continues to grow, Smartlink’s forthcoming escrow smart contracts aim to overcome these hurdles by leveraging the Tezos blockchain to ensure easy payments.  The platform will offer a simple escrow model, where the buyer and seller agree to terms (using smart contracts). The seller delivers the product or service, the buyer approves it, and the seller eventually gets paid. Throughout this process, the entire agreed-upon sum for the product or service will be held in the Smartlink escrow smart contract, eliminating many risks of non-performance for all parties involved. In addition to its upcoming escrow smart contract solution, Smartlink plans to launch a decentralized marketplace that will allow users to buy and sell crypto assets.  With the crypto market becoming extremely fragmented, the problems of liquidity, throughput, and security have become a daily issue. Therefore, DEX aggregators paired with escrow smart contracts will eventually play an outsized critical role in transforming the trading landscape by lowering crypto’s entry barriers and preventing security breaches.  Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.