Aave Lending Protocol

Aave is the largest decentralized lending protocol. Users deposit crypto (USDC, ETH, DAI) → earn yield. Borrowers deposit collateral (ETH, LINK) → borrow stablecoins → pay interest. Aave smart contracts automate everything: matching lenders/borrowers, calculating interest, liquidating bad debt, distributing rewards. $10B+ TVL (total value locked). Used by millions. Built on Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum.