Rumors of an AAVE sale with a 70% discount have been refuted: what lies behind the negotiations with Kraken?
Aave protocol founder Stani Kulechov has firmly denied rumors that the project plans to sell AAVE tokens at a 70% discount. This information, which spread amid reports of negotiations with the Kraken exchange, sparked a strong reaction in the crypto community and triggered a sharp rise in the asset's price.
Details of the Denied Deal and Market Reaction
The leaked materials mentioned the sale of approximately a 15% stake in the company at a total valuation of $385 million. However, neither party to the potential deal confirmed these terms. Kulechov called the presentation of the information incorrect, only acknowledging the fact of negotiations between the entities regarding the buyback of some tokens belonging to the Aave Labs division.
Despite the denial, the news triggered significant growth: AAVE's daily price rose nearly 7% and settled around $87. The market clearly viewed the very fact of negotiations with such a major player as Kraken positively, ignoring the false details about the discount.
Why Were the Rumors of a 70% Discount Absurd?
A hypothetical agreement would have been a logical continuation of existing cooperation. Recall that in 2025, the Aave DAO community overwhelmingly (99.8%) approved the transfer of a license to Kraken for the Ink blockchain network. This network is now developing its own lending platform based on Aave's code and shares a portion of its operational revenue with the protocol.
Negotiations resumed amid recovery from a serious incident with KelpDAO in April, when hackers took out large loans backed by unbacked coins, creating problematic debt of $230 million. Although Aave's protective smart contracts withstood the pressure, the liquidation of consequences led to an outflow of client funds — the volume of deposits decreased by more than a third. Nevertheless, the protocol still holds approximately $12 billion.
Aave's Plans: Automatic Buyback and New Tokenomics
Kulechov categorically stated: "We will never sell AAVE at a 70% discount." He emphasized that Aave Labs acts solely as a service provider for the DAO and does not receive a share of the protocol's revenue. According to the Aave Will Win concept, all proceeds are distributed among AAVE token holders.
Moreover, the founder announced Aavenomics 3.0 — a new version that will make token buybacks fully automatic. Currently, there is a program allowing buybacks of up to $50 million per year at personal discretion. Automating this process will be a powerful bullish signal, reducing inflationary pressure and increasing the token's value for holders.
What's Next? Prospects for Aave and Kraken
Buying a stake in Aave fits well into Kraken's expansion strategy ahead of its expected IPO. This year, the exchange has already agreed to acquire the derivatives platform Bitnomial for $550 million to obtain rare licenses in the US market.
Despite the April downturn, analysts see significant growth potential for the token. In the coming weeks, Aave will hold a quarterly community call, where details of the negotiations with Kraken and the impact of buyback automation on AAVE's fate are likely to be clarified.
Expert opinion: The denial of rumors about a sell-off and the announcement of Aavenomics 3.0 are a double positive for AAVE. The automatic buyback creates sustainable demand, and the partnership with Kraken opens the path to institutional liquidity. The current growth is just the beginning if the negotiations translate into concrete actions.