Aave's V4 Spokes Set to Drive Liquidity and Growth in DeFi

Aave founder Stani Kulechov has emphasized the importance of the V4 spokes architecture in expanding liquidity and monetization on the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol. In a recent post, Kulechov described the V4 spokes as lending markets that can scale across general-purpose or customized use cases.

The Aave V4 spokes allow the protocol to partner with external teams specializing in areas such as Automated Market Makers (AMMs), perpetual contracts (perps), fixed lending, crypto or securities custody, and liquidity expansion. Kulechov noted that DeFi moves incredibly fast, making it difficult for Aave to build every feature itself.

The V4 spokes design enables Aave service providers to review the implementation, while the Aave DAO collects a fee by exploring a sharing structure. This partnership model benefits both parties, with Aave's partners enjoying access to deep liquidity and distribution, and the core protocol accessing speed, expertise, and new monetization opportunities.

The initial rollout of the V4 spokes on March 30, 2026, included specialized spokes for Lido Finance, EtherFi, Athena, Lombard Finance, and Kelp DAO. These partners served as the protocol's initial launchpad for the newly introduced product.