DeFi Deleveraging Hits AAVE – Analyst Explains Why Borrowing Demand Falls Off A Cliff

Aave entered April 2026 as DeFi’s largest lending protocol. By mid-month, it was managing the fallout from one of the most damaging exploits in its history — and the on-chain data is now revealing just how deeply the event disrupted the protocol’s core activity. Related Reading: Crypto Traders Just Moved $100 Billion In Gold Volume: Find Out What Is Driving The Rush The incident began at Kelp DAO, where attackers exploited a $293 million vulnerability and used the stolen tokens as collateral on