Aave DAO dao
Overview
Aave DAO is the decentralised autonomous organisation overseeing the Aave protocol, which holds the position of largest DeFi lending platform by deposits. The project originated in 2017 as ETHLend, created by Finnish lawyer Stani Kulechov, using a peer-to-peer lending structure; it was rebranded in January 2020 as Aave — Finnish for 'ghost' — shifting from peer-to-peer matching to pooled liquidity. Participants supply assets like ETH, USDC or DAI to liquidity pools that back loans; suppliers earn variable interest, and borrowers must provide collateral exceeding the loan amount. The protocol provides both variable and stable interest rates, along with flash loans — uncollateralised loans requiring repayment within a single transaction. In 2023, the DAO introduced GHO, a decentralised stablecoin collateralised by protocol assets. Governance is conducted via the AAVE token: holders decide on protocol changes — such as asset listings, risk parameters and treasury management — through the DAO, positioning Aave as an open-source project directed by its community rather than a corporation. In 2025, the platform reported €40.3 billion in net deposits and was verified as the largest DeFi lending platform by deposits.
Within The Counterparty graph, Aave DAO connects to 11 tracked entities, most strongly to Aave V3, Aave token, Stani Kulechov.
Relations
Top connections in The Counterparty knowledge graph (confidence-weighted, 10 of 11 total).
| Relation | Connected entity | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
governs | Aave V3 | 95% |
supports_token | Aave token | 95% |
affiliated_with | Stani Kulechov | 95% |
approved | Aave Umbrella | 90% |
voted_on | Aave Will Win Framework Proposal | 90% |
approved | Aave v4 | 85% |
approved | Aave Horizon RWA | 85% |
affiliated_with | Marc Zeller | 85% |
received_grant_from | Arbitrum DAO | 85% |
directs_revenue_to | Aave Will Win Framework Proposal | 85% |
Frequently asked questions
What is Aave DAO?
Aave DAO is a dao tracked in The Counterparty knowledge graph. It is connected to 11 other tracked entities, most strongly to Aave V3, Aave token, Stani Kulechov.
What type of entity is Aave DAO?
Aave DAO is classified as a dao (dao) in The Counterparty knowledge graph.
What is Aave DAO connected to?
In The Counterparty knowledge graph, Aave DAO is linked to 11 other tracked entities, most strongly to Aave V3, Aave token, Stani Kulechov.
Sources
Facts in this record were checked against the following. Where a claim is not covered here, the record states only what the graph holds.
In the wire
1 item in the current window name this counterparty. Headlines are the publishers' own.
- 2026-07-20 [RECOVERY REQUEST] Accidental WBTC transfer to aWBTC contract on Arbitrum aave_blog