Aave has frozen rsETH reserves across Ethereum Core, Arbitrum, Base, Mantle, and Linea as the fallout from the KelpDAO exploit shifts from emergency mode to recovery mode.
Announcing the decision on X, the protocol said it will help recover more funds while recovery plans keep moving after the April 18 exploit that drained 116,500 rsETH, worth about $292 million, from Kelp’s cross-chain bridge and left a shortfall that spread through lending markets and other linked DeFi products.
A source who has been granted anonymity reached out to Cryptopolitan with private updates as the public rescue plan started taking shape. “Heads up, a series of proposals and tweets will flow. We’re getting really really close to wrapping this up.”
The same source added, “It will still take time, but I can tell you it’s bullish news for the users. Hoping to share full disclosures in an official manner soon.”
Aave partners start posting proposals as DeFi unites over recovery
Aave said its service providers have been leading the DeFi United effort to restore rsETH’s backing since the April 18 incident. The protocol said multiple strong indicative commitments are already in place and named Lido as one of the participants, now moving through governance.
Aave later said EtherFi had also stepped up with its own DAO proposal. Ethena then said it was joining the coordinated relief effort as well and would contribute toward restoring rsETH backing as part of a broader recovery initiative.
A governance post titled ‘Lido DAO contribution to coordinated rsETH relief effort’ seeks approval for a one-time capped allocation of up to 2,500 stETH from the Lido Labs Foundation operational funds multisig.
Those funds would be sent to a dedicated relief vehicle, where they would sit alongside contributions from other ecosystem participants and be used only to reduce the rsETH deficit.
EtherFi’s proposal authorizes the foundation to deploy up to 5,000 ETH from the DAO treasury as its share of a coordinated, multi-protocol remediation program.
The money would be used with other participating partners to do two things: absorb the user shortfall and stop bad debt from forming on Aave and other DeFi venues holding exposure to the affected assets.
The proposal says the distribution method, counterparties, and allocation framework will be published alongside execution.
Protocols commit capital and set the rules for the rsETH cleanup
EtherFi’s proposal says the remediation program starts immediately after DAO approval and continues until one of three things happens: the coordinated remediation is complete, the 5,000 ETH cap is reached, or a later governance vote changes or ends the program.
Any ETH left over after the cleanup would go back to the DAO treasury. If money is later recovered through restitution, insurance, legal action, or on-chain recovery, that recovered value would also return to the treasury up to the amount used under the proposal.
The voting setup was simple. Token holders could vote For, Against, or Abstain. The result was not split. All 1.8K voters backed the proposal, meaning 100% voted in favor.
The implementation section also says the foundation will publish the full remediation framework within 7 days of approval, including the participating protocols, the allocation method, and the distribution mechanics, with deployment expected promptly after that.
Ethena then said it had been working with affected parties in a supporting role and was contributing to Aave’s coordinated DeFi relief effort following the rsETH incident.
The firm said its contribution would go toward restoring rsETH backing and supporting an orderly resolution for stakeholders. Aave also said more commitments would be announced as they are formalized.
Our source pointed to a near-term sequence of announcements and framed the current stage as late in the process, but not finished. Cryptopolitan was also told that proposals and posts would keep coming before full disclosure is made official.
That fits the current pace. Aave has frozen reserves on five networks. Lido has put 2,500 stETH on the table through governance. EtherFi has proposed up to 5,000 ETH. Ethena has joined the relief effort.
