This investment reflects Animoca Brands’ continued expansion into decentralized finance and its commitment to supporting emerging protocols within the Base ecosystem. By positioning itself early in projects like Aerodrome, the company aims to play an active role in shaping the next generation of decentralized infrastructure.

What Is Aerodrome Finance (AERO)?

Launched on August 28, 2023, Aerodrome Finance is a next-generation automated market maker (AMM) built on the Base network. The platform inherits and improves upon the Velodrome V2 architecture to establish a central liquidity hub for Base-based DeFi activity.

Aerodrome’s mission is to address one of DeFi’s most persistent challenges — liquidity fragmentation. By aligning the interests of liquidity providers, token holders, and developers, the protocol enables more efficient liquidity management while rewarding users through the native $AERO token.

Users can lock their tokens as $veAERO to participate in governance and direct liquidity emissions. The system incentivizes long-term engagement, ensuring that liquidity remains stable across the ecosystem. Notably, Aerodrome has already captured over 50% of the total DEX TVL (Total Value Locked) on the Base network, cementing its position as a dominant liquidity center.

Why Did Animoca Brands Invest in AERO?

According to Animoca Brands, Aerodrome’s economic model creates a well-balanced ecosystem where all participants benefit from aligned incentives. The platform’s flywheel mechanism is built on three key components:

• veAERO holders earn platform fees and incentive rewards.

• Liquidity providers (LPs) receive $AERO emissions based on vote allocations.

• veAERO lockers determine which pools receive emissions through governance.

This model promotes sustainable growth by tying rewards to community participation and governance decisions, ensuring that liquidity and utility evolve hand in hand.

AERO: Powering the Growth of the Base Ecosystem

Beyond its core AMM functionality, Aerodrome plays a vital role in accelerating the Base ecosystem’s DeFi expansion. Coinbase has integrated Aerodrome liquidity into its trading interface, allowing centralized exchange users to easily access tokens listed on Aerodrome, further boosting activity and volume.

Additionally, Aerodrome has introduced AERO Ignition, a new token launch platform supporting early-stage projects on Base. The initiative has already powered successful launches such as SYND from Syndicate.io and LITKEY from LitProtocol.

With its innovative tokenomics, strong execution, and growing influence within Base, Aerodrome Finance stands out as one of the most promising DeFi protocols — and Animoca Brands’ investment underscores that belief.

What is Aerodrome (AERO)? What Does It Do?

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Additionally, in the previous quarterly report, Grayscale updated its Top 20 crypto asset list with strategic moves. This quarter, Lido DAO (LDO) and Optimism (OP) were removed, while Avalanche (AVAX) and Morpho (MORPHO) were added. Avalanche has strengthened its position among smart contract platforms through its MapleStory integration and increasing stablecoin activity.

DeFi Fund (DEFG) Update 

As of Q3 2025, Grayscale made major changes in its DeFi Fund (DEFG) portfolio. 

Removed asset: MakerDAO (MKR) was excluded from fund components.
Added asset: Aerodrome Finance (AERO) (6.60% weight) was added to the portfolio. 

As of October 3, 2025, DEFG portfolio allocation:
Uniswap (UNI): 32.32%
Aave (AAVE): 28.07%
Ondo (ONDO): 19.07%
Lido (LDO): 7.02%
Curve (CRV): 6.92%
Aerodrome Finance (AERO): 6.60% 

This update balanced the DeFi Fund with liquidity, protocol growth, and promising projects. The change closely correlates with coin prices and rising interest in DeFi projects. 

Smart Contract Fund (GSC) Update 

Grayscale rebalanced its Smart Contract Fund (GSC) in Q3 2025, adjusting the weightings of existing components. 

As of October 3, 2025, GSC portfolio allocation:

Ether (ETH): 30.32%
Solana (SOL): 30.97%
Cardano (ADA): 18.29%
Avalanche (AVAX): 7.57%
Sui (SUI): 7.35%
Hedera (HBAR): 5.50% 

Grayscale rebalanced the portfolio to optimize the performance of emerging coins and blockchain projects. 

AI Fund Update 

Grayscale’s AI Fund also added Story (IP) in Q3 2025 (21.53% weight). 

As of October 3, 2025, AI Fund portfolio allocation:

NEAR Protocol (NEAR): 25.81%
Bittensor (TAO): 22.15%
Story (IP): 21.53%
Render (RENDER): 12.91%
Filecoin (FIL): 11.39%
The Graph (GRT): 6.21%

The inclusion of IP highlights the integration of AI and blockchain, strengthening the fund’s innovative structure. This move serves as a key indicator for investors tracking market analysis and investment opportunities. 

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