Everyone still puts @maplefinance in the same bucket as Aave and Compound, thinking of it as a lending protocol. But that view is outdated. Maple builds structured lending strategies delivered to users through tradable, yield-bearing assets (syrupUSDC). It essentially bundles credit underwriting, structured fund-like pool operations, and institution-grade governance. That’s why it’s more accurately described as an on-chain institutional asset manager. The rise of asset managers like Maple signals DeFi’s evolution beyond permissionless protocols toward more sophisticated financial products that bridge TradFi and crypto. There’s a quick comparison below using Aave as an example of a DeFi lending protocol. TLDR: Both are needed. Aave for innovation and accessibility. Maple for bridging crypto to traditional finance. In the future of agentic DeFi, finding more stable APYs from reputable protocols will become much easier. These protocols will likely see rapid growth in TVL, and in Maple’s case, that directly translates to revenue growth. 25% percent of that revenue is used for token buybacks. While there is some risk of AI strategies becoming overfitted to chase high yields, institutional capital will still have the upper hand in attracting large volumes of liquidity quickly.