Aave’s $10 Billion Threshold and Why It Matters Now

KEY TAKEAWAYS Aave became the first DeFi protocol to surpass $1 trillion in cumulative lending volume on 25 February 2026, a milestone announced by founder Stani Kulechov and subsequently reported by major crypto outlets. Total value locked fell from an all-time high of $45.81 billion on 7 October 2025 to a 2026 low of $11.86 billion on 7 June, a 74% drawdown, before recovering to $17.69 billion,…