• The strategy focuses on a major protocol upgrade, real-world asset lending, and mobile adoption.
• Aave V4 aims to unify cross-chain liquidity and simplify development.
• Horizon targets faster growth in tokenised real-world asset markets through institutional partners.

Aave is setting out its next phase of expansion as regulatory uncertainty in the US eases for the decentralised finance protocol.

Founder and chief executive Stani Kulechov on Dec. 17 detailed what he described as a “2026 Master Plan”, one day after the US Securities and Exchange Commission formally dropped its long-running investigation into the platform.

The update comes after what Aave described as its strongest year so far, with 2025 marked by record net deposits and billions of dollars in activity processed across the protocol.

With the regulatory probe no longer hanging over the project, Aave’s leadership is now focusing on scaling its technology, widening its institutional footprint, and pushing further into consumer-facing products.

According to Kulechov’s post on X, Aave’s strategy for 2026 rests on three core priorities: a major protocol upgrade, the expansion of tokenised real-world asset markets, and broader user adoption through a mobile app.

Aave V4 upgrade

The first pillar of the roadmap is Aave V4, the next major iteration of the lending protocol.

The upgrade is designed to introduce cross-chain liquidity, a modular architecture, and deeper customisation for developers and partners.

Aave Labs, the core development team, had already published a V4 launch roadmap in September, outlining final testing and review phases.

A central feature is the Cross-Chain Liquidity Layer, which builds on earlier versions of the protocol to address fragmented liquidity across different blockchains.

Under the new design, liquidity pools are reorganised into capital hubs on each network, with specialised spokes layered on top to support tailored lending markets for specific asset types.

The structure is intended to support significantly larger volumes of capital while simplifying how new products are launched on Aave.

The upgrade also includes new cross-chain interfaces and a revamped developer experience, which Aave expects will make integrations easier for fintech firms, enterprises, and other large-scale users.

Horizon and institutional markets

The second focus area is Horizon, Aave’s decentralised lending market for tokenised real-world assets.

Horizon is positioned as a gateway for traditional financial institutions to access DeFi infrastructure while bringing off-chain assets on-chain.

Horizon launched on Aug. 27 and surpassed $50 million in deposits by September 1, with most of the early liquidity arriving in RLUSD and USDC. Since then, net deposits have grown to around $550 million.

Aave plans to accelerate Horizon’s growth in 2026, with a stated aim of pushing deposits beyond $1 billion.

The strategy involves expanding collaborations with established financial players including Circle, Ripple, Franklin Templeton, and VanEck.

Through these partnerships, Aave intends to onboard major global asset classes and expand its reach into a real-world asset market estimated at more than $500 trillion.

Aave App and user growth

The third pillar of the roadmap targets consumer adoption through the Aave App. Launched in mid-November, the app offers a banking-style savings experience designed to make decentralised lending more accessible to non-crypto-native users.

The app is currently available on the Apple App Store and is expected to see a broader rollout next year.

Aave is targeting a user base of one million as it seeks a foothold in the global mobile fintech market, which it estimates at about $2 trillion.

The push reflects Aave’s view that long-term scaling depends on product-level adoption, not just protocol-level liquidity.

The post Aave charts post-SEC expansion as DeFi lender sharpens growth strategy appeared first on CoinJournal.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has officially concluded its investigation into the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Aave (AAVE), marking a significant development in the ongoing evolution of regulatory approaches within the cryptocurrency industry. 

Stani Kulechov, the founder and CEO of the Aave protocol, confirmed the end of the four-year investigation in a post on social media, expressing relief and optimism about the future of DeFi.

Aave Founder Celebrates End Of SEC Investigation

In his announcement, Kulechov emphasized the considerable effort and resources invested by the Aave team throughout this process. He stated, “We are finally ready to share that the SEC has concluded its investigation into the Aave Protocol.” 

Highlighting the impact of regulatory scrutiny on DeFi, he added, “This process demanded significant effort… to protect Aave, its ecosystem, and DeFi more broadly.” 

Kulechov expressed hope for a new chapter in which developers can freely innovate and contribute to the future of finance, asserting, “DeFi will win.”

This conclusion is notable against the backdrop of heightened regulatory pressure that DeFi projects have faced in recent years. Under the previous SEC chair, Gary Gensler, the agency made a concerted effort to enforce regulations in the crypto space. 

In 2021, the SEC initiated 19 enforcement actions related to cryptocurrency in just the first nine months. However, recent patterns reveal a substantial shift in the commission’s stance on crypto enforcement.

SEC Eases Crypto Enforcement Actions By Over 60% 

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the SEC has reportedly eased enforcement actions in over 60% of ongoing cryptocurrency cases. 

A New York Times investigation published recently analyzed thousands of government documents and court records, revealing that the SEC has either dismissed, paused, or reduced penalties for a significant majority of active crypto cases since January 20, 2021. 

While Trump’s first term saw an average of one high-profile cryptocurrency case per month—including the notable action against Ripple Labs—the current landscape indicates a less aggressive regulatory approach for major players like Binance, Ripple, and Gemini. 

Following the administration shift, enforcement actions against these companies have either been withdrawn or significantly softened.

Paul S. Atkins, the newly appointed SEC chair under the Trump administration, has labeled this regulatory shift a “new day” for the cryptocurrency industry. 

At the time of writing, the protocol’s native token, AAVE, was trading at $187, having only surged by 1% following the announcement. However, on a year-to-date basis, the AAVE token has seen a significant 52% drop, with prices currently 72% down from the all-time high of $661 reached in May 2021.  

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

• Aave price jumped to highs of $200 as cryptocurrencies recorded an uptick on December 8, 2025.
• While market sentiment is weak, bulls could dominate price action toward $300.
• Decentralized finance and overall bullish conditions will be key to the AAVE price.

Aave is in the green on the day as the decentralized finance heavyweight’s token captures renewed investor attention.

On Monday, AAVE traded at $193 at the time of writing, having touched highs of $200 and reflecting a robust recovery from recent dips.

With bullish forecasts for Bitcoin and the broader market, it appears gains position AAVE for a potential explosive growth.

AAVE price gains amid altcoin surge

AAVE has been in a downtrend for over three months and remains constrained.

However, the DeFi token has posted a slight uptick over the past week, and current prices are well above the lows of $147 reached on November 21, 2025.

On Monday, the token climbed to highs of $200 before paring gains to around $193.

The Aave token’s uptick coincides with a broader altcoin bounce on Dec. 8.

As Bitcoin showed resilience above $90k, Ethereum broke above $3,100, Solana touched $136, and Chainlink advanced above $13.

For Aave, gains over the week stood at 17%, coming amid major stablecoin transfers and increased buzz around DeFi growth.

Aave is proving what stablecoin adoption at scale looks like.

→ $5B in USDC current supply on Ethereum V3
→ +138% USDC growth YTD on Ethereum
→ USYC live in Horizon, Aave’s RWA market

All figures from Jan '25 – Dec.

USDC is becoming a collateral layer for the next era of… pic.twitter.com/GkLd6fAyr3

— Circle (@circle) December 5, 2025

On Dec. 5, the Aave lending pools witnessed huge USDT transactions, moves that highlight increased borrowing demand and liquidity.

Analysts see this and whale activity as potential catalysts for further gains.

AAVE price forecast

The current market outlook for cryptocurrencies aligns with broader risk asset and seasonal trends.

December has historically delivered notable gains for investors amid “Santa rallies”.

Aave’s 17% surge in the past week mirrors this outlook, even if it’s still early days.

Investors are also eyeing the Federal Reserve’s anticipated rate cut this week.

Bulls could sparkle above the $200 mark. However, volatility remains a concern, and support levels could be much lower.

From a technical point of view, key indicators point to short-term advantage for Aave bulls.

Price is above the critical resistance and support level at $178.

As can be seen on the chart below, buyers breached this level as the AAVE price pumped to highs of $385 between May and August 2025.

However, declines from the year-to-date peak also saw bears plunge the token’s value past $178 to lows of $147 in November. Prior to this, AAVE had crashed to $128 on October 10, 2025.

This means the token is in a descending channel.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) reading currently hovers at 52. It’s upsloping and indicative of likely further room for upside movement. Bulls can do this without immediately entering the overbought territory.

Notably, the token recently broke above its 50-day exponential moving average (EMA) as bulls rallied.

This happened as part of a classic bullish confirmation move that has historically preceded significant upside action.

Aave’s daily chart shows the 50EMA is at $201.

Bearish risks, such as a Bitcoin correcting below $90,000, could cap gains at this mark.

However, bulls riding an upward wave could break higher, with $227 and $320 key levels.

The post Aave price could explode above $200: here’s the forecast appeared first on CoinJournal.