On-chain data show that Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin transferred about 1,900 ETH (roughly $4.8 million at the time) into the Aave v3 lending protocol, minting an equivalent amount of interest‑bearing wrapped ETH on Aave. The transaction, recorded on Etherscan and highlighted by market trackers, quickly drew attention because of Buterin’s influence and his prior public criticism of what he called “fake DeFi,” including the view that simple stablecoin yield strategies on protocols like Aave do not represent “real DeFi.” The move immediately impacted markets: Buterin’s 1,900 ETH liquidity injection coincided with a roughly 13% intraday price jump in AAVE, from about $118 to $133, briefly making AAVE one of the best‑performing major tokens and pushing it back into the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Aave founder Stani Kulechov publicly welcomed Buterin’s activity, framing it as a vote of confidence in Aave’s role within the DeFi ecosystem. Commentators noted the ouroboros‑like irony of Buterin using a large ETH deposit on Aave—after previously downplaying similar yield‑seeking behavior—as it underscores both his ongoing influence over DeFi sentiment and the sector’s sensitivity to actions by high‑profile Ethereum addresses.

AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

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