Aave Lays Out 2026 Roadmap After SEC Ends Long Investigation

Aave founder and chief executive Stani Kulechov has shared a detailed roadmap for the decentralized finance protocol’s direction in 2026, just days after confirming that the US Securities and Exchange Commission has closed its four year investigation into the platform.

In a post published on X on Tuesday, Kulechov said that while 2025 has been Aave’s most successful year so far, he views the project as still being at an early stage. He described the coming year as a turning point focused on growth, broader use, and deeper ties with traditional finance.

Kulechov outlined a strategy built around three main priorities. These are the launch of Aave V4, the expansion of Horizon, and the further rollout of the Aave App. Each pillar is intended to support larger scale usage and higher levels of onchain activity.

Aave V4 and Protocol Scaling

At the center of the plan is Aave V4, a major upgrade that will reshape how borrowing and lending work on the protocol. According to Kulechov, V4 will introduce a hub and spoke model. Under this setup, a shared crosschain liquidity pool will sit at the core, while individual markets can be customized around it.

He said this structure is designed to support very large volumes of assets and allow different institutions and companies to access liquidity in a flexible way. Over the course of 2026, Aave also plans to add new markets, assets, and integrations, working alongside its DAO and partners to steadily grow total value locked.

Real World Assets and Consumer Push

The second pillar, Horizon, focuses on real world assets. Horizon currently holds about $550 million in net deposits. Kulechov said the goal is to reach $1 billion and beyond in 2026 by onboarding more financial institutions. Current and planned partners include Circle, Ripple, Franklin Templeton, and VanEck. Togethre, they aim to bring traditional asset classes onto the platform.

The final piece of the strategy is the Aave App. Launched on the Apple App Store in mid November, the app is designed to simplify access to DeFi products. Kulechov said the mobile fintech market is worth more than $2 trillion and presents a major opportunity. The full rollout is expected early next year, with a target of reaching one million users.

Notably, Kulechov confirmed that the SEC has ended its investigation into Aave, sharing a letter dated Aug. 12, 2025. He said the outcome allows the project to move forward with greater certainty. Kulechov also disclosed that he personally bought $9.8 million worth of AAVE tokens, separate from the DAO’s buyback plans.