KETJU Research

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lp

ICHI

Rejected
Max sleeve
Reviewed
2026-08-16 · v1
Next review
2026-11-15
Chains
Ethereum · sovereign, Flare · crypto-backed, Mantle · freezable, Arbitrum One · hybrid, BNB Smart Chain · freezable, Polygon PoS · hybrid, Base · hybrid

Rejected venues wait the longest for re-review; a rejection has to earn another look before the scheduled date.

ICHI is a liquidity manager whose vaults take single-token deposits and deploy them into concentrated-liquidity pools to earn trading fees across 27 tracked chains. The single-token wrapper does not remove the underlying exposure: the strategy holds a two-token range and can trade inventory while rebalancing. That path-dependent loss is why the AMM class remains rejected. DefiLlama measured $6.83M on 2026-08-16.

The research file

Mechanism applicability

ICHI Vaults accept one preferred token, issue vault shares, and deploy assets into concentrated AMM liquidity. Inventory-threshold algorithms reposition ranges and may buy or sell to restore a target mix. A one-token deposit simplifies entry but the share still carries both-token inventory and AMM price-path exposure.

Control and loss applicability

ICHI describes ordinary rebalancing as on-chain and without a privileged rebalance function, using inventory, price and time triggers. Extreme volatility may lock a vault and require human intervention. The risk documentation expressly identifies impermanent loss, volatility, slippage and smart-contract risk; audits reduce implementation uncertainty rather than those economic exposures.

Exit applicability

Vault shares may be withdrawn for the assets then represented in the vault. Exit value depends on current inventory, range state, accrued fees, any vault lock, AMM liquidity and conversion back to the depositor’s preferred token. A flexible withdrawal interface is not a principal guarantee.

Why the dossier still applies

DefiLlama measured $6,828,575 across 27 tracked chains on 2026-08-16. Size is not dispositive: current vaults remain managed concentrated-liquidity positions. Reopen only for a separately accounted product without AMM inventory exposure, then verify its controls, loss mechanics, audit scope and proposed-size stressed exit.

Sources

The claims above trace to these. Where a number could not be independently verified, the thesis says so.

Inherited controls

The verdict above grades the protocol layer. Every position also inherits the asset it holds and the chain it settles on. The least safe layer sets the position’s grade, and the position table names which one that is.

ChainVerdictGradeControl constraint
EthereumApproved sovereign No sequencer, no upgrade key, no operator who can be compelled — rule changes require social consensus.
FlareApproved · limits crypto-backed consensus entry is permissionless, but the Foundation monopolizes governance proposals and manually executes some approved changes.
MantleRejected freezable the team can push instant upgrades — there is no exit window a client could use.
Arbitrum OneApproved · limits hybrid a single sequencer orders >99% of transactions and admin keys can upgrade bridge contracts on a ~7-day timelock.
BNB Smart ChainRejected freezable the validator set concentrates around one company, and the chain has been halted by decision.
Polygon PoSRejected hybrid a public validator set orders transactions, but a 5-of-9 multisig can instantly upgrade staking and canonical bridge contracts, while a 5-of-8 controls custom child tokens.
BaseApproved · limits hybrid Coinbase — one regulated US company — operates the only sequencer, and admin keys can upgrade bridge contracts within ~7 days.
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