Trump Tariffs Trigger $180 Million Aave Liquidations, $9 Billion Uniswap Trades

- Trump’s 100% tariff announcement sparks historic DeFi stress tests - Aave handles record $180 million liquidations; Uniswap processes $9 billion in trades On October 11, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a new 100% tariff on Chinese imports, triggering a global market collapse. The announcement followed earlier 30% tariffs imposed in May and sent shockwaves through both traditional equities and cryptocurrency markets, causing sharp sell-offs. According to Cryptopolitan on October 11, decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms proved their resilience amid this turmoil. Decentralized lending protocol Aave and decentralized exchange Uniswap emerged as standout performers, with both platforms processing record activity while maintaining stability. Within an hour, Aave handled $180 million in automated liquidations, a new milestone for the protocol. On October 11, in a post on X, Aave Founder and CEO Stani Kulechov described the event as the “largest stress test” of its $75 billion lending infrastructure and stated that the platform “operated flawlessly” despite the extreme market conditions. Uniswap, the largest decentralized exchange, also demonstrated remarkable performance, recording nearly $9 billion in daily trading volume. Unlike centralized exchanges that experienced performance issues during the volatility, Uniswap’s operations remained uninterrupted. On October 11, Uniswap Founder Hayden Adams attributed this reliability to DeFi’s architectural advantages, remarking that market sell-offs “serve as good reminders of how DeFi is simply built differently.” The event highlighted a stark contrast between decentralized and centralized platforms, showcasing the benefits of DeFi systems that rely on transparent, automated, and distributed designs. While centralized exchanges struggled to manage the surge in market activity, Aave and Uniswap solidified their reputations as reliable alternatives during financial instability. According to CoinMarketCap, Aave (AAVE) was trading at $237.09 as of 15:08 UTC on October 11, down 12.7% over a 24-hour period. At 15:09 UTC, Uniswap (UNI) was priced at $6.08, marking a 24.2% decline over the same period.