Standard Chartered issued a research note Wednesday projecting that Aave's native token (AAVE) could surge nearly 50 times from roughly $70 to $3,500 by the end of 2030. Geoff Kendrick, the bank's global head of digital assets research, initiated coverage with staged price targets: $180 by the end of this year, then $600, $1,200, and $2,200 over the following three years. The forecast follows a rough stretch for the decentralized finance lending platform, which saw deposits halve from $44 billion to $23 billion after an April theft of $291 million from KelpDAO spilled over into Aave's ecosystem.
Standard Chartered Sets $3,500 AAVE Target by 2030
Standard Chartered released its AAVE coverage Wednesday morning when the token traded at roughly $70. The bank's end-of-2030 target of $3,500 represents a nearly 50-fold increase. AAVE rose above $77 earlier Wednesday following the report's release, then topped $79 later in the day—up nearly 9% as Bitcoin started to recover. The token hit an all-time high above $661 in 2021 and rallied to nearly $400 in late 2024 following President Donald Trump's reelection.
The bank's forecast includes intermediate milestones: $180 by the end of this year, $600 by the end of the following year, $1,200 the year after, and $2,200 in the subsequent year before reaching $3,500 by the end of 2030. Standard Chartered also stated price targets of $500,000 for Bitcoin (currently $60,831) and $40,000 for Ethereum (currently $1,614) by the end of 2030.
April Exploit Cut Aave Deposits in Half
An April theft of $291 million from KelpDAO, a smaller DeFi platform, spilled over into Aave and impacted liquidity. Deposits on the platform fell from $44 billion to $23 billion, while active loans dropped from $18 million to $9.5 billion in the same span. Aave's share of the broader lending market slipped to 38% of deposits, down from an average of 59% in the year before the incident, according to Standard Chartered.
The bank argues that the damage has largely run its course, pointing to a new risk framework proposed by Aave founder Stani Kulechov and a recent uptick in deposits from a June low. Standard Chartered cautions that scaling Aave's institutional lending arm, Aave Horizon, is "achievable but not yet proven" and hinges on partnerships with traditional finance firms that have yet to materialize at scale.
Bank Projects 37-Fold DeFi Asset Growth by 2030
Standard Chartered forecasts that the value of tokenized assets deployed in DeFi will grow 37-fold to $2.7 trillion by 2030, fueled by the expansion of stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets from traditional finance giants, and rising crypto prices. Because Aave collects fees primarily through the spread between what it pays depositors and charges borrowers, the bank argues its revenue—and by extension its token price—should track that growth closely.
The bank notes that digital asset prices remain notoriously volatile, with Bitcoin falling to a 21-month low on Wednesday and most other major assets dipping alongside before starting to recover.
FAQ
What price target did Standard Chartered set for AAVE by the end of 2030?
Standard Chartered set a price target of $3,500 for AAVE by the end of 2030, representing a nearly 50-fold increase from roughly $70 when the report was released Wednesday morning. The bank outlined staged targets: $180 by the end of this year, $600, $1,200, and $2,200 over the following three years.
How did the April KelpDAO exploit affect Aave's deposits?
An April theft of $291 million from KelpDAO spilled over into Aave, causing deposits to fall from $44 billion to $23 billion and active loans to drop from $18 million to $9.5 billion. Aave's market share slipped to 38% of deposits, down from an average of 59% in the year before the incident.
Why does Standard Chartered expect AAVE to rise by 2030?
The bank forecasts that tokenized assets deployed in DeFi will grow 37-fold to $2.7 trillion by 2030, driven by stablecoin expansion, tokenized real-world assets, and rising crypto prices. Standard Chartered argues that Aave's revenue and token price should track this growth closely because the platform collects fees through spreads between depositor payments and borrower charges.
