According to Standard Chartered research, Aave's token recently outperformed Bitcoin as traders reward DeFi protocols tied to institutional lending and real-world asset narratives. The bank's renewed focus on Aave's role in decentralized lending has helped drive attention to the protocol, demonstrating that institutional frameworks are increasingly evaluating crypto infrastructure through revenue, lending demand, and market depth rather than speculation alone.
Traders are watching whether Aave and similar DeFi protocols can sustain valuations as institutional participation in tokenized real-world assets grows, marking a potential shift in how the broader market separates infrastructure from high-beta altcoins.