Aave's Move to Aptos: Redefining DeFi's Speed and Scale

Aave’s recent expansion to the Aptos blockchain marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of decentralized finance (DeFi) on non-Ethereum Virtual Machine (non-EVM) networks. The Aave DAO has officially approved the activation of its lending protocol on Aptos, making it the first non-EVM integration for the DeFi giant [3]. This strategic move is expected to deepen liquidity for stablecoins and liquid staking tokens (LSTs) on the Aptos network, enhancing capital efficiency and access for DeFi participants.

Aptos, a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain utilizing the Move programming language, has been steadily growing in the DeFi and real-world asset (RWA) space. With over €2.97 billion in market capitalization as of late August 2025 [2], the platform has seen increased institutional interest, particularly in Wyoming, where it is among 11 blockchain firms competing for a role in the state’s WYST stablecoin initiative [3]. The integration of Aave is likely to further bolster Aptos’s position as a key infrastructure provider for scalable DeFi and RWA solutions.

The Aave protocol, already one of the largest DeFi platforms with billions of dollars in liquidity across 14 networks, brings a robust framework for lending, borrowing, and liquidity management [1]. On Ethereum, the protocol has historically offered competitive stablecoin supply annual percentage yields (APYs) and borrow annual percentage rates (APRs), which are crucial for maintaining liquidity and attracting capital. By deploying similar mechanisms on Aptos, Aave aims to replicate these successes in an environment that prioritizes speed and scalability—Aptos claims to process over 150,000 transactions per second.

Aptos has also been expanding its DeFi ecosystem through initiatives such as Shelby, a decentralized storage network co-developed with Jump Crypto, and Amnis Finance, a leading LST protocol capturing over 82% of the Aptos LST market [2]. These developments underscore the platform’s focus on building infrastructure that supports complex DeFi applications, where Aave’s liquidity solutions could play a complementary role. The combination of Aave’s capital-efficient lending model with Aptos’s high-speed transaction execution is expected to attract both retail and institutional users seeking optimized DeFi experiences.

From a technical standpoint, the integration of Aave on Aptos presents a novel use case for the Move programming language, which is designed to enhance smart contract security and composability. Aave’s modular architecture, which enables seamless integration across multiple blockchains, aligns well with Move’s design principles. This compatibility is critical for enabling developers to build new financial products that leverage both Aave’s liquidity pools and Aptos’s scalable infrastructure.

The broader market implications of this partnership are still unfolding. While Aptos’s native token APT has experienced volatility in recent months, with price fluctuations of over 16% in certain 24-hour periods [2], the addition of Aave could provide a stabilizing influence by increasing demand for stablecoins and LSTs. Stablecoin usage on Aptos has already grown significantly, reaching global top three rankings in real-world asset (RWA) adoption [2], and Aave’s entry is expected to amplify this trend by further deepening the liquidity layer.

Source: [1] Aave (https://aave.com/) [2] Aptos Price, APT Price, Live Charts, and Marketcap (https://www.coinbase.com/en-it/price/aptos) [3] Aptos Price, APT Price, Live Charts, and Marketcap (https://www.coinbase.com/en-gb/price/aptos)