Industry leaders at Token2049’s LONGITUDE event in Singapore have declared 2025 as cryptocurrency’s breakout year, with Bitcoin reaching unprecedented highs and institutional capital flooding into digital assets. Prominent figures including Maelstrom’s Arthur Hayes, Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, and Aave Labs founder Stani Kulechov expressed unanimous conviction that cryptocurrencies are positioned to absorb trillions of dollars from traditional financial infrastructure, with current momentum potentially extending through 2026.
read moreStani Kulechov
0 posts last week
Avalanche Treasury Co. Merges in $675M Deal for Nasdaq Listing
Avalanche Treasury Co. is merging with Mountain Lake Acquisition Corp. in a landmark $675 million deal targeting a Nasdaq listing in early 2026. The company will leverage an exclusive partnership with the Avalanche Foundation to acquire AVAX tokens at a significant discount while actively driving ecosystem growth, positioning itself as a strategic growth engine rather than a passive holder.
read moreAave Nears $100B in Deposits, Rivaling Deutsche Bank
Aave, one of the largest decentralized lending protocols, could hit $100 billion in net deposits by year-end, according to founder Stani Kulechov. This would place it among the world’s top 35 banks, surpassing Barclays. The protocol already holds a dominant 66.7% share of the $91.7 billion DeFi lending market. Growth is fueled by institutional adoption, including Nasdaq-listed BTCS, and Ethena’s USDe stablecoin, which has parked $6.4 billion in Aave. However, Chaos Labs warns that USDe’s rapid expansion and rehypothecation risks could amplify systemic leverage. Aave’s rise underscores DeFi’s growing role in global finance but also highlights emerging vulnerabilities.
read moreAave Hits $50B in Deposits, Rivals Top US Banks
Aave has achieved a major milestone by surpassing $50 billion in net deposits, making it the largest DeFi protocol with nearly double the TVL of its closest competitor, Lido. Remarkably, this deposit volume would rank Aave 47th among US-chartered commercial banks, ahead of institutions like Deutsche Bank and Barclays. The platform’s growth is being driven by increasing adoption from traditional financial firms and fintech companies, with notable users including the Ethereum Foundation and a DeFi venture linked to Donald Trump. Aave Labs’ Director of Institutional and DeFi Business, Seb Pulido, envisions $1 trillion in deposits, supported by initiatives like Horizon, which focuses on integrating real-world assets (RWAs) into DeFi. This development highlights the accelerating convergence of decentralized and traditional finance.
read moreAave Founder: Blockchain Could Be Fintech’s Next Move
Stani Kulechov, founder of Aave Labs, argues that traditional finance is increasingly turning to fintech due to poor banking experiences, creating an opportunity for blockchain adoption. At EthCC 2025, he emphasized that decentralized finance (DeFi) projects like Aave Protocol are working to integrate financial utility into decentralized platforms. Kulechov sees this as a natural progression, with fintech already capturing significant market share and DeFi positioned as the next frontier for innovation in financial services.
read moreRahul Vohra: Superhuman Founder & Crypto Backer
Rahul Vohra, best known as the founder of Superhuman, has quietly built a reputation as a savvy early-stage crypto investor. While his email service caters to productivity enthusiasts, his investment portfolio includes DeFi, NFTs, and blockchain infrastructure projects, often alongside prominent figures like Aave’s Stani Kulechov. Unlike flashy investors, Vohra operates discreetly, leveraging his tech expertise from Rapportive (acquired by LinkedIn) and Superhuman to identify high-potential opportunities. His dual focus—refining email efficiency and backing transformative crypto projects—highlights a unique balance between TradFi and decentralized innovation. Despite his crypto involvement, Vohra remains committed to Superhuman, proving his belief in enduring tech solutions.
read moreGalaxy Ventures Invests $4M in RISE for Fastest Ethereum L2
RISE, a next-gen Ethereum Layer 2, announced a $4M investment from Galaxy Ventures, bringing its total funding to $8M. The blockchain boasts groundbreaking speeds of 5ms latency and 100k TPS, addressing scalability without compromising decentralization. Its testnet has processed 2B+ transactions, including 50k in a single second, enabling real-time DeFi applications like HFT and market making. Key innovations include ‘Shreds’ for sub-block confirmations and Ethereum-compatible sequencing. Backed by Vitalik Buterin and AAVE’s Stani Kulechov, RISE aims to launch mainnet soon, offering developers ‘Infinite Speed’ performance.
read moreAave Launches Umbrella: On-Chain Risk Management System
Aave has launched Umbrella, an on-chain staking-based risk management system built by BGD Labs and approved by Aave governance. Unlike the previous Safety Module, Umbrella allows users to stake interest-bearing aTokens (e.g., aUSDC, aWETH, GHO) to provide real-time, automated coverage for bad debt. The system automatically burns staked assets in case of a deficit, reducing reliance on governance intervention. Umbrella is structured around three smart contracts: StakeTokens, Rewards Controller, and Umbrella Core, all upgradeable by the DAO. The rollout started on Ethereum and will expand to other networks, with initial focus on high-borrow demand assets like USDC and WETH. Users staking aTokens earn base yield and protocol rewards but accept slashing risk confined to the specific asset and network. The system has undergone four independent security audits to ensure resilience. Umbrella marks a shift toward autonomous on-chain safety, aligning user incentives with protocol health.
read moreEthereum Foundation Borrows $2M in GHO Stablecoins via Aave
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has entered DeFi by borrowing $2 million in GHO stablecoins on Aave, using wETH as collateral. This aligns with Aave’s value proposition, allowing ETH holders to access liquidity without selling their holdings. Aave founder Stani Kulechov praised the move as a demonstration of DeFi’s full utility cycle. The EF has not officially commented, but the crypto community supports the strategy as a sustainable treasury approach. This follows EF’s recent DeFi engagements, including deposits into Aave, MakerDAO’s Spark, and Compound. The borrowing reflects a shift from liquidating ETH to leveraging DeFi for yield generation, distancing EF from past criticism over ETH sales. Aave remains Ethereum’s top lending protocol with $43B in TVL, while GHO’s circulating supply stands at $249M.
read moreEthereum Foundation Borrows $2M in GHO from Aave
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has borrowed $2 million in GHO, a decentralized stablecoin developed by Aave, signaling deeper involvement in DeFi strategies. Aave founder Stani Kulechov described the move as completing ‘the full DeFi circle,’ noting that EF is both supplying ETH and borrowing from Aave. GHO is an overcollateralized stablecoin governed by Aave’s DAO, which manages interest rates, collateral requirements, and facilitator selection. This development highlights the growing synergy between major blockchain entities and decentralized finance protocols.
read more