Aave Labs Launches Horizon for Institutional Lending with Tokenized RWAs

• Aave Labs Launches Horizon with Institutional Stablecoin Lending
• Tokenized RWAs serve as real-time collateral
• Partnership with Circle, VanEck, Chainlink, and WisdomTree

Aave Labs announced on Wednesday the official launch of Horizon, a platform designed to serve financial institutions seeking to borrow stablecoins backed by tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). Eligible assets include U.S. Treasuries, collateralized loan obligations, and tokenized institutional funds.

Built on a permissioned Aave V3 instance, Horizon offers 24/7 credit infrastructure with a focus on capital efficiency and regulatory compliance. According to the team, institutions will be able to deposit tokenized assets as collateral and borrow against stablecoins like USDC, RLUSD, and GHO, benefiting from predictable liquidity and on-demand access.

Stani Kulechov, founder of Aave, highlighted the importance of the new platform:

"Horizon was built for the growth of real-world tokenized collateral, enabling institutional-scale lending. Horizon provides the infrastructure and deep stablecoin liquidity institutions need to operate on-chain, unlocking 24/7 access, transparency, and more efficient markets."

Launch partners include prominent names such as Circle, VanEck, Chainlink, WisdomTree, Centrifuge, Superstate, Securitize, Ethena, and Hamilton Lane. The initiative, initially revealed in March, also aims to generate new revenue streams for Aave DAO, reinforcing Aave Labs' institutional strategy in the RWA market.

It's estimated that over $25 billion in real-world assets already exist tokenized on-chain, though much of it remains siloed within legacy structures. Horizon emerges as a tool to unlock greater utility by enabling these assets to act as real-time collateral for stablecoin operations.

Chainlink will play a key role in the platform's architecture, offering Onchain NAV, which provides real-time net asset values ​​of tokenized funds, as well as future Proof of Reserves and SmartAUM capabilities. Sergey Nazarov, co-founder of Chainlink, remarked: "We are very excited to be a key partner in Aave's Horizon plan and look forward to making it highly secure, reliable, and connected to leading financial institutions."

With Horizon, Aave Labs reinforces its position as a leading player in institutional DeFi, connecting the traditional sector to on-chain liquidity and transparency opportunities.