- Aave reached $1 trillion in cumulative lending, highlighting strong DeFi adoption.
- Institutional adoption through Aave Horizon boosts credibility and expands real-world lending.
- AAVE token shows potential upside, with undervaluation and growth tied to TVL and revenue.
Aave — AAVE, hit a historic milestone, recording $1 trillion in cumulative lending volume. This makes it the first DeFi protocol to achieve such a feat. CEO Stani Kulechov confirmed the milestone on X, highlighting how far the protocol has come since launching as ETHLend in 2017. With billions locked and growing institutional interest, Aave is proving that decentralized lending can attract serious capital. Traders and investors are now watching the token closely for 2026.
Aave’s Market Dominance
Aave rebranded from ETHLend in September 2018 and has grown into the largest decentralized lending platform by total value locked. The protocol currently holds $27.2 billion in TVL, outpacing competitors such as Morpho, JustLend, SparkLend, and Compound Finance, all of which manage over $1 billion individually. Over the past 30 days, Aave generated $83.3 million in fees, nearly four times more than Morpho, its closest competitor. This level of revenue signals strong adoption and active usage.
Institutional adoption is taking Aave to a new level. In August, Aave Labs launched Aave Horizon, a lending market designed for traditional financial institutions. Companies can now borrow stablecoins using real-world assets as collateral. Early participants include VanEck, WisdomTree, and Securitize. This move positions Aave as a bridge between DeFi infrastructure and traditional finance, increasing its credibility and potential growth.
CEO Kulechov has also highlighted tokenization of physical assets as a future growth area. He predicts that assets like solar energy, battery storage, and robotics, which he calls abundance assets, could reach $50 trillion by 2050. Integrating these assets into DeFi could significantly expand Aave’s lending capacity and overall market influence.
Token Performance and Price Outlook
The $1 trillion milestone comes amid internal debate over funding and governance. A DAO proposal asks AAVE tokenholders to approve a package of up to $42.5 million in stablecoins and 75,000 AAVE tokens for Aave Labs. In exchange, revenue from Aave-branded products would flow back to the DAO treasury. The community remains split on how much control Aave Labs should maintain compared to decentralized governance.
AAVE currently trades around $117, down more than 40% from highs above $300. Daily trading volume exceeds $300 million, and circulating supply stands at about 15 million tokens. Market capitalization sits near $1.8 billion, with a Market Cap-to-TVL ratio below 0.1. Some analysts see this as a sign of potential undervaluation relative to past cycles.
Looking ahead, price forecasts range widely. Conservative estimates place AAVE at $250, while optimistic scenarios suggest it could reach $1,500. Performance depends heavily on TVL growth, continued revenue generation, and broader DeFi market conditions. If institutional adoption continues and revenue remains strong, AAVE could see significant upside in 2026.
