Aave reached $30.5 billion in active loans on Sept. 18, representing 65% of the $46.72 billion in total active loans across decentralized protocols.
Data from Token Terminal shows that the lending protocol maintains a comfortable lead over competitors. Its nearest rival, Morpho, holds less than $5 billion in active loans.
Aave also commands a total value locked (TVL) of $42 billion, making it the largest DeFi protocol by TVL, based on DefiLlama data.
The deposit figures would position Aave as the 53rd largest US commercial bank if it operated under traditional banking structures, placing it among the top 2.5% of US commercial banks based on June 30 regulatory data.
Aave running hot
The protocol generated $24.6 million in fees over the past seven days, ranking it fifth-largest crypto protocol when considering centralized stablecoin issuers Tether and Circle.
Among purely decentralized protocols, Aave ranks third in weekly fee generation, only lagging behind Pump.fun and Uniswap.
Users access Aave for multiple purposes beyond basic lending. The protocol serves as a liquidity source for traders seeking leverage, as they utilize assets from their holding positions to borrow additional capital.
By using holdings to acquire more liquidity, traders leverage their positions fully on-chain. Additionally, holders seek yield on their dormant assets, and investors pursue higher returns than traditional finance offers.
Yield advantage
Yield advantages over traditional banking attract significant capital to the protocol. Aaverank shows USDC deposits on Base earn 5.76% APY through Aave, substantially exceeding the 0.39% average offered by FDIC-insured banks.
Similar premiums exist across networks and stablecoins, with Ethereum USDC yielding 5.12% and Avalanche USDC providing 5.03% returns.
At the same time, USDT on Ethereum generates 5.09% through Aave compared to traditional bank averages, while alternative networks like Linea offer 3.94% on USDT deposits. These rates consistently outperform conventional banking products while maintaining on-chain accessibility.
The growth in active loans indicates how crypto investors are more inclined to use decentralized protocols for leverage and yield, with Aave having a significant participation in this sector.
