Aave began in 2017 as ETHLend, a peer-to-peer lending platform founded by Stani Kulechov on the Ethereum blockchain. ETHLend enabled users to match lenders and borrowers directly through smart contracts and raised funds via an Initial Coin Offering (ICO), introducing the LEND token. In 2018, the platform rebranded to Aave, meaning “ghost” in Finnish, symbolising transparency and decentralisation. This shift marked a transition from a peer-to-peer model to a liquidity pool-based system, allowing users to deposit funds into pools for instant borrowing, which significantly improved scalability and user experience.
Aave launched its mainnet in 2020, quickly becoming a leader in decentralised finance (DeFi). It introduced innovations such as flash loans, enabling uncollateralised borrowing within a single transaction, and the option to choose between stable or variable interest rates. In 2020, Aave replaced the LEND token with the AAVE token, granting governance rights to holders. The platform has since expanded to other blockchains, including
Polygon and
Avalanche, enhancing its scalability and accessibility. Today, Aave remains a top DeFi protocol, offering secure and flexible lending, borrowing, and staking services.