Decentralized finance protocol Aave has crossed $1 trillion in cumulative lending volume, becoming the first platform in the DeFi sector to reach the milestone. The achievement underscores Aave’s dominant position in onchain lending as demand for decentralized borrowing and yield generation continues to expand.
Founded by Stani Kulechov, Aave originally launched as ETHLend in 2017 before rebranding in 2018. Today, the protocol secures approximately $27.2 billion in total value locked (TVL), enabling users to deposit digital assets to earn interest or borrow against collateral instantly.
Institutional DeFi and Aave Horizon Expansion
In August, Aave Labs introduced Aave Horizon, a dedicated lending market on Ethereum designed for traditional financial institutions. Early participants include VanEck, WisdomTree, and Securitize, signaling growing institutional engagement with tokenized assets and stablecoin lending.
Over the past 30 days, Aave has generated $83.3 million in fees nearly four times more than its closest competitor, Morpho reinforcing its market leadership.
DAO Governance Debate Intensifies
The milestone coincides with an internal governance debate. Tokenholders are considering a proposal to allocate up to $42.5 million in stablecoins and 75,000 AAVE tokens to Aave Labs. In exchange, revenue from Aave-branded products would flow directly to the Aave DAO treasury under a revised operating structure.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.