Retail Investors Boost AAVE as It Tops DeFi Rankings

Key Takeaways
- Large investors sell AAVE worth approximately 830,000 USD
- Spot traders buy significantly more: purchases worth 2.39 million USD
- AAVE surpasses Lido to become the most valuable DeFi protocol
- Derivatives market shows opposite signals: short positions dominate
Spot Traders Buying Despite Selling Pressure
In the past 24 hours, major AAVE holders have sold around 4,500 tokens, equivalent to approximately 830,000 USD. Such sales can put short-term pressure on the price. However, there is strong buying interest in the spot market.
Over the past four days, spot traders have purchased AAVE worth 2.39 million USD—almost four times the volume sold. Most of these purchases went into private wallets, indicating a long-term holding intention. This is also supported by negative exchange netflows. Such a value shows that more AAVE is being withdrawn from exchanges than deposited.
Retail Investors Take Control
Netflows from large wallets to exchanges are also negative (-0.08%). This means less AAVE is being transferred to exchanges by major investors, indicating reduced selling pressure. At the same time, retail investors—smaller, private investors—are gaining influence. They currently dominate the market with their purchases.
AAVE Becomes Leading DeFi Protocol
With a Total Value Locked (TVL) of 18.433 billion USD, AAVE has overtaken Lido to become the most valuable DeFi protocol. TVL indicates how much capital is locked in a protocol. An increase signals growing liquidity and user confidence. AAVE now leads Lido by 450 million USD.
Derivatives Market Sends Opposite Signals
While the spot market appears bullish, the derivatives market paints a different picture. Open interest—the total value of outstanding positions—has risen to 239.12 million USD. This alone is not a clear signal, but combined with other data, it presents a bearish outlook.
The long-short ratio has dropped to 0.909. A value below 1 indicates that short positions outnumber long ones. Additionally, the funding rate is negative—short traders are paying a premium to maintain their positions. This increases selling pressure on the price.
You should read that too:
-
Asian Slots – The Best Asia-Themed Online Slot Games
Reading time: ~ 2 minutes
-
Retro Slots – The Best Slot Games With Retro Look at a Glance
Reading time: ~ 2 minutes
-
Online Casinos in Vietnam
Reading time: ~ 2 minutes
-
Online Casinos in Russia
Reading time: ~ 2 minutes
-
Food and Drink Slots: The Best Slot Games Inspired by Culinary Delights
Reading time: ~ 2 minutes
Our Assessment
AAVE is currently in an interesting phase. The spot market shows clear signs of accumulation by retail investors. This suggests potential price stabilization or even an upward trend. At the same time, the derivatives market urges caution: short positions dominate here, indicating short-term uncertainty.
If you’re watching AAVE, it’s worth closely monitoring both markets. In the long term, increasing liquidity and growing trust in the protocol could provide upward potential. In the short term, however, the situation remains volatile.
Sources
- Coinglass
- IntoTheBlock
- DeFiLlama