CoW Protocol Rolls Out Dual Solver Infrastructure Updates

CoW Protocol has eliminated the **Uniform Clearing Price (UCP)** mechanism from its winner selection process. The UCP was a legacy system that imposed constraints across the protocol without providing additional value to users. By removing it, the protocol simplifies solver logic and allows the most efficient solutions to win more directly. This update follows a previous change that introduced **blind bidding** - solvers can no longer view competitors' bids during auctions, forcing them to compete independently until the deadline. Both changes aim to improve outcomes for users through more efficient price discovery. The removal of UCP constraints represents a technical optimization that reduces unnecessary complexity in the solver selection process.

CoW Protocol has implemented two key updates to its solver auction mechanism: **Hidden Bidding Process** - Solvers can no longer view competing bids during active auctions - Competition now runs blind until the deadline - Independent strategies aim to produce better execution for users **UCP Constraint Removal** - Uniform Clearing Price mechanism has been eliminated - The legacy system added complexity without user benefits - Simplifies solver logic and allows optimal solutions to win more efficiently These changes streamline the protocol's order matching system while maintaining its core function of finding the lowest prices across exchanges.

CoW Swap is proposing a discretionary grants program to compensate victims of the April 14 DNS hijacking incident. **What happened:** - An attacker convinced CoW Swap's DNS registrar they were a team member using false documents - The attacker gained control of cow.fi domain and deployed a phishing site - Attack occurred in two phases: wallet drainer and fake wallet modals harvesting seed phrases **Current status:** - CoW Swap has regained full control of the domain - Vercel confirmed no compromise of CoW Swap credentials or data - All security tokens rotated and deployments audited **Next steps:** - Proposal details available on [CoW DAO forum](https://forum.cow.fi/t/cip-draft-discretionary-grants-program-for-victims-of-the-cow-fi-domain-hijacking/3431) - Due to high sums involved, the proposal requires governance approval - Community members can signal support or provide feedback in the forum

**CoW Swap is now live on Linea**, Ethereum's L2 network, bringing gasless trading and advanced order types to the platform. **Key features on Linea:** - Gasless swaps by default - no ETH needed for gas - Limit and TWAP orders - Swap & Send functionality - Upcoming Swap & Bridge feature **How it works:** CoW Protocol's solver network competes to find the best prices across DEXs while protecting users from MEV attacks. **Expanded Aave integration** also launched, powering more DeFi operations: - Collateral swaps - Repay-with-collateral transactions - Debt swapping All operations are **gas-optimized and MEV-protected**. The integration uses intent-based transactions - users specify what they want, and solvers find the optimal execution path. **Benefits include:** - Solver-routed execution for better prices - Shared liquidity across $10B+ monthly volume - Simplified user experience with fewer approvals Try CoW Swap on Linea: [swap.cow.fi](https://swap.cow.fi/#/59144/swap/WETH/0x176211869cA2b568f2A7D4EE941E073a821EE1ff) Learn more about the Aave integration: [aave.com/blog/aave-cow-swap](https://aave.com/blog/aave-cow-swap)