Aave plants flag on non-EVM soil with V3 debut on Aptos

Aave has officially expanded its dominion beyond Ethereum-compatible chains. Its debut on the Move-based Aptos network marks a major shift for the protocol, showcasing its adaptability and ambition to become a universal liquidity layer.

On August 20, DeFi lending provider Aave announced the mainnet launch of its V3 protocol on the Aptos blockchain. The deployment, executed by Aave Labs on behalf of the Aave DAO, is the protocol’s first-ever deployment on a non-EVM chain, breaking a five-year tradition of operating exclusively within the Ethereum Virtual Machine ecosystem.

The initial market will support Aptos (APT), sUSDe, USD Coin (USDC), and Tether (USDT), with supply and borrow caps set to scale alongside user demand. At the same time, developers will have access to robust infrastructure to build onchain financial applications.

Aave V3 on Aptos: Technical feat and strategic expansion

Aptos, with its focus on high throughput and sub-second finality, has cultivated a growing stablecoin economy valued at approximately $1.3 billion, predominantly in USDT. For Aave, a protocol with over $50 billion in historical net deposits, this represents a fresh pool of assets to mobilize.

The integration aims to unlock novel collateral types, particularly liquid staking tokens. With data suggesting only 8.1% of staked APT is currently in liquid staking tokens compared to 76% natively staked, Aave and Aptos envision a significant opportunity to catalyze a deeper borrowing and lending market on the chain.

According to the press release, deploying Aave V3 on a non-EVM chain required substantial technical work. The protocol was fully rewritten in Move, its front end and software development kit were rebuilt, and its business logic was retrofitted to run on the Aptos virtual machine.

Security-first approach 

Recognizing the immense risk of deploying on a new VM, Aave Labs enveloped the project in a rigorous security blanket. The process involved architecture reviews and audits from multiple top-tier firms, including Zellic, Ottersec, and Certora, Aave said.

A Cantina mainnet capture-the-flag competition further stress-tested the code, and an active $500,000 bug bounty program payable in GHO remains in effect, underscoring a commitment to the protocol’s security-first ethos.

By bridging Ethereum-rooted DeFi with a non-EVM blockchain, Aave V3’s deployment on Aptos embodies the evolving landscape of multichain finance. For Aptos, the launch positions it as a fertile ground for scalable DeFi, laying a foundation for future protocol expansions and a new chapter in cross-chain liquidity.