The decentralized lending platform Aave has received over 90,000 ETH, equivalent to over $207 million, to cover the bad debt that arose after a massive attack on KelpDAO — the largest hack in the DeFi space in 2026.
This is reported by Finway
Contributions from Key Market Players
The main donors of the campaign were Mantle and Aave DAO. Together, they contributed 55,000 ETH, amounting to over $127 million. This significant support allowed for a substantial reduction in the deficit that threatened the stability of one of the leading DeFi protocols and caused a liquidity outflow from the market.
To overcome the crisis’s aftermath, the crypto sector has united in the DeFi United initiative, led by Aave service providers. The goal of this initiative is to restore trust in the rsETH token, stabilize the market, and coordinate major players to ensure the further development of the ecosystem.
- Additional capitalization of the system
- Restoration of support for rsETH
- Market consolidation through collaboration among major players
“I personally am contributing 5,000 ETH to DeFi United as we continue to work together with partners”
This position was expressed by Aave founder Stani Kulechov, who joined the fight against the aftermath of the attack.
Joining of Ethereum Leaders and Market Dynamics
Key figures from the Ethereum ecosystem have also joined DeFi United. Consensys and its founder Joseph Lubin provided up to 30,000 ETH to support the recovery of rsETH, while strategic support is provided by Sharplink. Thus, the initiative has gained broad support among leading industry representatives.
The trading volume of the AAVE token on exchanges exceeded $300 million, demonstrating a 34% increase in a day, according to CoinMarketCap data.
In comparison, the second largest incident this year was the attack on Drift Protocol in the Solana network, during which at least $270 million was stolen using the durable nonces feature — without employing classic code vulnerabilities or key compromises.
The coordination of market participants and the mobilization of significant financial resources allow Aave and DeFi United to gradually restore stability in the decentralized financial sector after the most notorious hack of the year.