$ETH The strong increase in whale activity within the Aave protocol coincides with milestones being experienced by the DeFi sector as a whole. Its founder, Stani Kulechov, announced that they reached a new all-time high in their Total Value Locked (TVL), valued at $25 billion, consolidating as one of the largest DeFi protocols.

According to data from Wednesday, Aave represents more than 21% of the total DeFi TVL, surpassing direct competitors such as Lido (LDO) and EigenLayer (Eigen). "The growth is largely attributed to the capital injection from institutional investors and large holders depositing significant assets within the protocol," comments Bazán.

Decentralized finance: what's happening with Uniswap

Alongside Aave's remarkable moment, Uniswap, the leading decentralized exchange (DEX) in the market, also registered a milestone of great relevance.

On May 12, Uniswap reported that its historical trading volume had exceeded the $3 trillion barrier, underscoring the increasing appeal and mass adoption of DeFi platforms for executing transactions. Data from DeFiLlama, corresponding to May 14, reveals that the platform processes a daily volume exceeding $3.6 billion.

Thanks to this constant flow of activity, it captures 24% of the total trading amounts globally within the DEX ecosystem, solidifying its dominant position.