Aave Labs founder and CEO Stani Kulechov said the partnership with Payward is a strategic step to bring Aave to more retail and institutional users. According to Odaily, Payward and its asset management clients bought an undisclosed amount of AAVE on the secondary market through the affiliated fund Digital Asset Special Investments I and may increase their holdings; the parties are also discussing potential future collaboration.
People familiar with the matter said the arrangement developed from earlier negotiations that included a proposal involving tokens and equity, while the current announcement disclosed only token purchases. Aave has approximately $33 billion in net deposits and $11 billion in active loans.