AERO Soars 10% as Animoca Market Buys Aerodrome's Native Token

Why It Matters

The move underscores growing confidence in Base’s DeFi infrastructure and could bolster AERO’s market perception, while the stark TVL decline highlights the volatility and liquidity challenges facing emerging Layer‑2 DEXs.

Summary

Animoca Brands announced it purchased an undisclosed amount of Aerodrome’s native AERO token on the Base network, buying at market price and immediately max‑locking the tokens as veAERO for voting power and long‑term staking rewards. The news lifted AERO more than 10%, briefly pushing the price above $1 despite the token still sitting 58% below its all‑time high. Aerodrome, the leading AMM on Base by trading volume, has seen its total value locked fall 45% to about $553 million, yet the purchase makes Animoca one of the largest AERO holders. The firm cited Aerodrome’s sustainable tokenomics and its role in Base’s DeFi growth as the rationale for the investment.