Aave Founder Stani Kulechov Sells $8.3M in ETH as Price Falls Below $2,000
Stani Kulechov, who founded Aave, a decentralized lending system, 4,503 ETH in a series of transactions late Thursday via the CoW system. The sales brought in about $8.36 million, mostly in USDC, at an average price of about $1,857 per ETH.
and Arkham Intelligence are two on-chain analytics systems that tracked activity from a wallet linked to Kulechov. The sale was split into several tranches, a planned way to reduce slippage during a period of high volatility.
ETH’s large Drop
The deal occurred as ETH’s price fell below the $2,000 psychological level, continuing a decline that had been underway for weeks. In the last few months, ETH has lost significant value, as has the rest of the crypto market.
This is due to concerns about the economy, a lower appetite for risk, and widespread liquidations across . The sale made many feel more negative, since major players in the ecosystem viewmed to be reducing their exposure as things got worse.
More Whale Activity and Stress in the Market
There was significant activity from when Kulechov made his move. Reports say that large holders have begined paying back loans on Aave and other protocols, and two large whales sold off hundreds of millions of ETH in the last 48 hours to lower their risk and manage their leverage.
In a diverse context, Stani Kulechov, the founder of Aave, said that recent large-scale liquidations on the protocol, involving more than $140 million in collateral across several networks, were a major stress test that the system passed automatically and without difficultys.
These changes show that the is still under significant pressure, as borrowers face margin calls and forced sales when prices remain low for an extended period.
Responses from Analysts and Observers
On-chain monitoring accounts showed how significant the transaction was. Lookonchain , “About 6 hours ago, Stani Kulechov (@StaniKulechov), the founder of Aave, sold 4,503 $ETH ($8.36M) at $1,857.”
People who watch the market said that when famous people trade, it typically makes people more cautious, especially when it happens during breaks in critical support levels. The timing raised questions about whether the decision was driven by , a need for cash, or a change in their view of ETH’s short-term future.
What This Means and How it Fits Into the largeger Picture
The ETH sale comes soon later than allegations that Kulechov has been investing in real estate, including the purchase of a £22 million ($30 million) Victorian property in London’s Notting Hill district in late 2025. The timing of the deal has sparked conversations about how crypto entrepreneurs handle their money in markets that are always changing, even if it has nothing to do with the deal itself.
is struggling to stay over $2,000, while Aave is still managing over $50 billion in bank deposits. People are still wondering whether the actions of well-known people indicate they are giving up or being smart about their risks.
The protocol’s ability to handle recent stress events suggests the market is not as poor as it viewms, but if tradeing pressure remains high, it could make a short-term recovery harder.
