Aave’s founder and CEO, Stani Kulechov, shared an ambitious vision for 2026, revealing plans to transform Aave into a central player in the on-chain financial infrastructure through three key projects: Aave V4, Horizon, and the Aave App.

According to Kulechov, Aave V4 will completely redesign the lending protocol to eliminate liquidity fragmentation and significantly enhance capacity.

The Three Pillars

This upgrade is set to introduce a Hub and Spoke structure, deploying capital hubs on each network with tailored lending markets built on top for various asset types. The ultimate aim is to manage trillions of dollars in assets, positioning Aave as a primary liquidity source for institutions and companies seeking on-chain credit.

The strategy also includes enhancing the developer experience alongside V4, making it easier to create applications and launch new markets on the protocol in 2026. Another key element is Horizon, an institutional market for real-world assets that lets qualified institutions use tokenized assets like US Treasuries as collateral for stablecoin loans, all while ensuring compliance.

Kulechov noted that Horizon has already achieved approximately $550 million in net deposits, with aspirations to exceed $1 billion by next year.

Aave Labs intends to further expand Horizon through collaborations with asset managers and financial firms such as Circle, Ripple, Franklin Templeton, and VanEck.

The final pillar is the Aave App, touted as Aave’s main consumer product and significant growth driver. A full launch of this app is scheduled for early 2026, aiming to attract its first million users.

Kulechov indicated that the trio of rollouts—V4, Horizon, and the Aave App—aims to support Aave’s larger goal of establishing itself as a global on-chain credit layer capable of serving both institutional and retail markets at scale.

Regulatory Developments

This visionary plan follows the recent conclusion of a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into Aave, which lasted four years. Kulechov confirmed this development and emphasized the challenges faced during the process, stating,

“This process demanded significant effort and resources from our team, and from me personally as the founder, to protect Aave, its ecosystem, and DeFi more broadly. DeFi has faced unfair regulatory pressure in recent years. We’re glad to put this behind us as we enter a new era where developers can truly build the future of finance.”

Notably, Aave is not the only project cleared by the SEC; several investigations from the Biden administration have also been concluded for platforms like Gemini, OpenSea, and Uniswap.

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