Avalanche's DeFi total value locked (TVL) has surpassed $1 billion, marking a significant increase from under $200 million in July. This growth is driven by aggressive whale positions, with leveraged long trades in AVAX exceeding $17 million. Institutional interest is also on the rise, underscored by AVAX One's Nasdaq listing and support from Galaxy Digital and Kraken. AVAX futures trading volume hit $4.11 billion in the past 24 hours, with open interest at $1.79 billion. On-chain data reveals $3.26 million in net inflows on September 23, indicating renewed buying interest in the Avalanche ecosystem.