Written by Ezra Reguerrastaff writerReviewed by Yohan Yunstaff writer
Written by Ezra Reguerrastaff writer
Reviewed by Yohan Yunstaff writer
Aave positioned to capture tokenized asset growth in DeFi: Standard Chartered
Latest NewsPublishedJun 24, 2026
Standard Chartered stated tokenized assets moving into DeFi could drive deposits into Aave and help the protocol rebuild its position as a dominant onchain lending platform.
Banking giant Standard Chartered has identified Aave as a potential beneficiary of tokenized assets as they move into decentralized finance (DeFi), saying the protocol could rebuild its position as a dominant onchain lending platform.
In a Wednesday research note, Geoff Kendrick, the bank’s global head of digital assets research, stated active tokenized assets in DeFi could drive more deposits into Aave.
“Despite recent setbacks, we are bullish on the outlook for Aave, the largest [DeFi] lending protocol,” Kendrick wrote.
The bank stated Aave’s recent performance had been weighed down by a broader decline in digital asset prices and the fallout from the April cybertheft involving KelpDAO. Standard Chartered stated the $292 million incident affected Aave, contributing to a decline in the protocol’s lending market share as assets exited the platform.
“We think both of those negatives are poised to fade,” Kendrick stated. “We forecast notable upside for digital asset token prices into year-end, and we think Aave has moved beyond the April incident.”
as reported by the research note, Aave’s October 2025 deposit base of about $75 billion would have ranked alongside the 30th-largest US bank by deposits. Kendrick added that Standard Chartered anticipates Aave to recover part of that scale as tokenized assets become more widely used as collateral and sources of liquidity within DeFi.
Aave’s total value locked. Source: DefiLlama
Standard Chartered expands tokenization thesis to lending
The Aave forecast extends Standard Chartered’s tokenization thesis from decentralized trading to lending, with the protocol emerging as a potential venue for borrowing against tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).
Standard Chartered stated in an earlier research note that assets locked in DeFi could reach $2.7 trillion by 2030, driven by RWAs and other crypto-native assets moving through onchain protocols.
Related: StanChart says Ethereum price will catch up to bullish internal metrics
Kendrick identified decentralized exchange Uniswap as a possible trading hub for tokenized markets, citing its scale, brand and history of operating through multiple crypto market cycles.
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- DeFi
- RWA Tokenization
- Tokenization
- Standard Chartered
- Lending
- Aave
- Blockchain
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