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DefiLlama Founder Denies Aave TVL Inflation from Looping Trades
DeFiNeutral2 min readApril 20, 2026Crypto.news

DefiLlama Founder Denies Aave TVL Inflation from Looping Trades

DefiLlama's founder has refuted claims that Aave's Total Value Locked (TVL) is artificially inflated by looping trades. This is significant for P2P merchants as it impacts the perceived health and size of DeFi ecosystems, which can indirectly influence stablecoin demand and trading volumes.

DefiLlama founder 0xngmi has publicly addressed concerns that Aave's Total Value Locked (TVL) might be inflated due to users engaging in circular borrowing or "looping" strategies. These strategies involve borrowing assets against collateral that was itself borrowed, creating a closed loop.

According to 0xngmi, DefiLlama's methodology already accounts for and filters out such looped positions. The platform's metrics are designed to reflect the true, unique value deposited into DeFi protocols, rather than the sum of all transactions within them. This distinction is crucial for understanding the actual capital deployed in DeFi.

For P2P trading merchants operating on platforms like Binance P2P and Bybit P2P, the perceived size and robustness of DeFi ecosystems can influence overall market sentiment and stablecoin demand. While this news doesn't directly alter P2P trading mechanics or fees, a healthier-looking DeFi sector can indirectly boost confidence in the broader crypto market, potentially leading to increased trading volumes for USDT and other stablecoins as users seek to participate or hedge.

Understanding the accurate valuation of DeFi protocols is key to assessing the underlying strength of the crypto economy. Merchants should monitor these discussions as they can shape investor perception and, consequently, the flow of capital into and out of stablecoins traded on P2P platforms.