Declan Hannon has just been appointed as the acting Chief Executive Officer at Aurora, and his primary objective for the platform is to guide it through its next phase of development, specifically by gaining real market traction using its recently launched products, Calyx and Near Intents. Here’s how the Aurora project could look in the next year.

The 2026 Vision for Aurora

Like many rising blockchains in the cryptocurrency landscape, Aurora has the foundational work to support the next set of innovative projects in the market. Even better, the network has encouraged the development of such experimental products since its launch, and there doesn’t seem to be a better time to make the transition to real market value.

That transition is what acting Chief Executive Officer Declan Hannon looks to guide the Aurora platform through. He has a background in fintech, and after three years as the Vice President of Growth for Aurora, he is in a good position to tell whether the platform is ready for the next step or not.

Aurora already has innovation at its core; it is only bringing the experimental projects to market readiness.

There is also the current crypto/Web3 trend backing the decision to shift Aurora’s focus to the market’s needs. Users, both crypto-native and new players from the TradFi space, now want projects with long-term stability and that solve real-world problems. There is no space for short-term gains in the market anymore; utility is the cryptocurrency market’s driver now.

Declan also agrees, stating that he expects 2026 will reward projects that solve real problems rather than chase short-term gains. His plans for Aurora will enforce a builder-first mentality, with focused execution and reliability being the project’s pillars. With all that incorporated into the projects, Aurora will be setting the stage for the next set of EVM-compatible virtual chains in the market.

Here’s more on how Aurora is positioning for market readiness.

How Aurora is Positioning in The Crypto Market

The ideology shift from experimental infrastructure to market-ready development is not a new trend. For most chains, it comes with some maturity after years of existence, and Declan thinks the time is right for Aurora to take that step.

For clarity, Aurora’s ecosystem is not filled with just experimental projects. There are Calyx and the NEAR Intents already amassing volume, two of the products on Aurora with proven market readiness.

Calyx launched in late Q3 2025, enabling simultaneous token launches on multiple blockchains. Up to 11 chains participated in the latest sale, and the project aims to expand into new tier-one ecosystems in the first quarter of 2026. Launching on the Calyx platform is proving to be a solution to liquidity access, especially for unestablished tokens. The product opens up new token projects to multiple ecosystems, offering them access to various users who no longer need to swap their native tokens before they buy the new tokens.

Consequently, such market reach increases the liquidity that new token projects can access through Calyx.

Another market-ready use case on the Aurora protocol is the NEAR Intents widget. The widget has become popular recently for simplifying blockchain-based needs for users and AI agents, especially token swaps. Users specify the transaction outcome that they want, and third-party executors compete to solve the problem.

The NEAR Intents widget allows Aurora users to access other blockchains in Web3–even Calyx uses this functionality to increase tokens’ market reach on other chains. With their synergy, both protocols are crucial to Aurora’s market entry in 2026, as their user-focused features will ensure that the platform scales in Q1.

On-chain Milestones for Aurora

While the Aurora platform is only approaching market readiness, the protocols on the chain reached key milestones in Q4 2025. Aurora, as a mother virtual chain, now has 200 virtual chains live on its ecosystem. The virtual chain count has risen mainly because the smart contracts have enabled projects to deploy their own chains without any code.

Aurora’s EVM compatibility and integration with NEAR Intents also provide an added advantage to projects that launch on the chain, as they get increased access to liquidity that they can’t get anywhere else.

Calyx and the NEAR Intents swap widget completed their development in late 2025, too, and they are ready to hit the markets and scale in 2026. Both products will be deployed in Q1, armed with a solid technical foundation (thanks to Aurora supporting innovation) and ready for a waiting market in AI applications.

Aurora and Liquidity Solutions

Accessing liquidity in the markets has always been a hassle for newly launched crypto token projects, and it just got worse with the caution from investors, especially institutional investors. Declan concedes that such caution has tightened liquidity flow on altcoins, but he maintains that most of crypto liquidity, up to 95%, is still idling in the markets.

Why? Because of weak secondary markets and complex cross-chain movements. Aurora will be ushering its not-so-new features–Calyx and NEAR Intents–on NEAR Protocol in 2026, and simplifying cross-chain token movement is one of their key use cases.

Declan also expects that other chains will take the cue from Aurora to develop simpler, more flexible processes for moving assets. With free-moving financial investments in the market, more liquidity will open up for token projects to tap into.

2026 Goals and Long-term Vision for Aurora

Aurora’s key goals for 2026 revolve around getting more virtual chains and users onboarded on its projects through scalability and reliability. Declan maintains that these are the main pillars to ensure sustainable growth over time, while earning users’ trust.

Even better, he states that Aurora’s success will be measured as real traction, partner engagement, and sustainable growth, not vanity metrics. The platform’s core mission is to hide blockchain complexity, making it easier for projects and users to use Aurora and its products. So, leveraging AI and its strong technical base, Aurora is shifting its perspective to becoming a more business-oriented blockchain, rolling out projects that meet users’ needs throughout the market through simple, seamless cross-chain platforms.

Disclaimer: This article is based on an interview and reflects the personal views and opinions of the featured speakers. It is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with qualified professionals before making any financial decisions.