According to Milk Road, Aave spent up to $80 million per quarter on product incentives during 2021, even though the protocol operated at a significant loss at that time. This aggressive rewards strategy set Aave apart from other DeFi tokens, which often failed to sustain such high expenditures. For traders, this highlights Aave's strong capital reserves and its ability to maintain user engagement through incentives, factors that have historically contributed to $AAVE's resilience during volatile market periods (Source: Milk Road on Twitter, May 15, 2025). The sustainability of such incentives remains a key consideration for price stability and token attractiveness, especially as many DeFi projects struggle with long-term financial viability.