Maple, the leading onchain asset manager, and Aave, the world’s largest decentralized lending protocol, have formed a strategic partnership to bring institutional assets to DeFi. Together, they are building the foundation for decentralized finance by connecting institutional capital to the largest and most liquid onchain lending market.
Maple introduces a new class of collateral to Aave: institutional-grade assets backed by consistent, trusted yield. These assets are designed to perform through market cycles and will become part of the backbone of Aave’s variable lending model, stabilizing borrow demand, improving capital efficiency, and strengthening liquidity across the protocol.
Through this collaboration, Aave unlocks access to Maple’s network of allocators and borrowers, representing billions in deployable capital seeking stable, scalable returns. Maple, in turn, connects its institutional assets to the deepest liquidity layer in DeFi, expanding access, utility, and participation across both ecosystems.
“At its core, this integration is about connecting two critical pieces of infrastructure: deep liquidity and high-quality credit,” said Sid Powell, CEO of Maple. “Aligning two of the industry’s most established protocols, this move lays the foundation for the next phase of sustainable growth in decentralized finance, where institutional capital and decentralized protocols work together at scale.”
“This partnership brings together Maple’s high-quality institutional assets with Aave’s deep liquidity and unmatched scale,” said Stani Kulechov, Founder of Aave. “Institutions gain greater utility and deeper liquidity, enabling them to better manage capital.”
To start, syrupUSDT will launch first on Aave’s Plasma instance, followed by syrupUSDC on the core market. The partnership will continue to expand, further integrating Maple’s institutional assets into Aave’s markets over time.
This milestone reinforces Maple’s role as the bridge between institutional capital and decentralized finance. In the past nine months, Maple has facilitated billions in onchain lending volume, establishing itself as the largest onchain asset manager. By combining Maple’s institutional-grade yield strategies with Aave’s scale and liquidity, the two are redefining how high-quality credit flows into DeFi.
About Maple
Maple, launched in 2021, is the leading onchain asset manager combining capital markets expertise with DeFi innovation. Maple powers a suite of offerings including secured lending, Bitcoin Yield, and structured products. As a leader in decentralized finance and institutional crypto markets, Maple has built a global asset management ecosystem focused on innovation, transparency, and accessibility. For more information, visit maple.finance.
About Aave
Aave is the world’s largest decentralized finance (DeFi) network, with over $65 billion in net deposits and more than $25 billion in active loans. Operating as a global lending, borrowing, and savings network, Aave enables users to earn and borrow instantly through transparent, permissionless smart contracts. By merging open finance with institutional-grade reliability, Aave is building the next generation of onchain financial infrastructure. Learn more at aave.com.