Aave has passed $1 trillion in cumulative lending volume, according to Cointelegraph. The milestone marks a first for DeFi lending at that scale.
Stani Kulechov, CEO of Aave Labs, highlighted the shift from idea to live usage in an X post. He said, “A decade ago, DeFi and Aave didn’t exist. They were just ideas.”
Kulechov also described Aave as “the backbone of onchain lending” and said the protocol aims to become the “largest, most efficient liquidity network in the world.” He added that he wants “builders, banks, and fintechs” to connect by default.
Aave lending volume grows as Aave TVL and Aave fees stay ahead
Aave now secures more than $27.2 billion in total value locked, or Aave TVL, Cointelegraph reported. TVL tracks the value of assets deposited in a protocol.
The protocol lets users deposit crypto and earn interest. Meanwhile, borrowers take loans by posting crypto collateral, and then they repay with interest.
Aave also produced more than $83.3 million in fees over the past 30 days, according to Cointelegraph. The report said that figure is nearly four times higher than Morpho, its closest competitor.
Aave Horizon expands DeFi lending access while Aave DAO debates funding
In August, Aave Labs launched Aave Horizon, a lending market on Ethereum aimed at traditional finance firms and institutional investors, Cointelegraph reported. The product focuses on borrowing stablecoins against real world assets.
Cointelegraph listed VanEck, WisdomTree, and Securitize as early participants in the institutional effort. The report described Horizon as an Aave path toward deeper bank and fintech integrations.
At the same time, a governance dispute has grown inside the Aave DAO. AAVE token holders have been asked to approve a package worth up to $42.5 million in stablecoins and 75,000 AAVE for Aave Labs, Cointelegraph reported. In return, Aave Labs would route revenue from Aave branded products to the Aave DAO treasury under a DAO funded operating model.
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Tatevik Avetisyan is an editor at Kriptoworld who covers emerging crypto trends, blockchain innovation, and altcoin developments. She is passionate about breaking down complex stories for a global audience and making digital finance more accessible.
📅 Published: February 26, 2026 • 🕓 Last updated: February 26, 2026
