The leading lending protocol Aave has partnered with top DeFi platforms to stabilize the situation following the attack on Kelp. The projects have launched the DeFi United initiative.

Aave service providers have been leading the DeFi United effort to restore rsETH's backing since the April 18 incident.

We believe ecosystem collaboration matters most in moments like this, and our priority is achieving the strongest possible available outcome for users.… https://t.co/e4fiS6yTxv

— Aave (@aave) April 23, 2026

“We believe that collaboration among ecosystem participants is paramount in such moments, and our priority is to achieve the best possible outcome for users,” the statement said. 

The goal is to restore the backing of the rsETH token, which was at the center of the hack.

The Lido team proposed to allocate up to 2500 stETH (approximately $5.8 million) to cover the shortfall of the “wrapped” ether.

“Our ecosystem is directly invested in a coordinated and targeted response. Inaction will likely increase losses for EarnETH depositors and exacerbate negative consequences for stETH-related products and liquidity platforms,” the authors emphasized. 

The EtherFi Foundation plans to contribute 5000 ETH (~$11.5 million) to assist Aave.

The EtherFi Foundation is proposing to contribute 5k ETH to the rsETH dedicated relief vehicle. This vehicle will protect users and prevent bad debt across DeFi.

More details in the proposal: https://t.co/EkEWlt49Dx

— ether.fi Foundation (@ether_fi_Fdn) April 23, 2026

Aave's CEO and founder, Stani Kulechov, also announced a personal contribution of 5000 ETH to DeFi United.

Aave is my life's work and we're working nonstop to find the best possible outcome for users.

I’m personally contributing 5000 ETH to DeFi United as we continue working together with partners on formalizing more commitments. I’m working to see this resolved and market conditions…

— Stani (@StaniKulechov) April 23, 2026

The Golem Foundation allocated 1000 ETH. The team from the L2 network Mantle is discussing providing Aave DAO with a loan of 30,000 ETH for three years, secured by tokens and 5% of the protocol's revenue.

Following this week's rsETH incident involving @KelpDAO and @LayerZero_Core, a proposal has been put forward for Mantle to contribute a loan facility to @aave's coordinated relief effort.

The loan would form part of a wider coordinated framework, structured to minimize…

— Mantle (@Mantle_Official) April 24, 2026

The initiative has been joined by Ethena, LayerZero, Ink Foundation, Tydro, and Frax Finance. 

Aave Metrics 

Meanwhile, the total value locked (TVL) in the lending protocol has dropped to $14 billion, down from over $26 billion before the hack. 

Source: DefiLlama. 

Since the attack, Aave's deposit volume has decreased by $17.2 billion, down to $28.6 billion, noted on-chain analyst EmberCN. According to him, the outflow of funds has stopped following the launch of DeFi United. 

After Aave coordinated the establishment of "DeFi United" for recovery aid, and secured a loan of 30,000 ETH and 13,500 ETH in donations, the restoration of confidence has indeed had a noticeable effect: I’ve seen that in the last few hours, funds on Aave have not continued to flow out.

The total deposit amount on Aave is now $28.6 billion, down $17.2 billion since the rsETH incident. If funds no longer continue to flow out, then rsETH… https://t.co/u51Te19xD0 pic.twitter.com/mLk3450Srb

— 余烬 (@EmberCN) April 24, 2026

The AAVE token reacted positively to the news, rising nearly 2% in the past day. At the time of writing, the asset is trading around $93.3. 

Hourly chart of AAVE/USDT on Binance. Source: TradingView. 

The unification of DeFi projects has garnered community support.

The problem with philosophical bitches is they’re too busy dreaming about the worst possible state to ever build a better world.

Thank you to everyone who’s stepped up to DO THINGS.

Proud as fuck to watch this unfold. 🥹

DeFi United. DeFi Wins. 💖

— Tay 💖 (@tayvano_) April 23, 2026

“Those who philosophize endlessly are too caught up in dreaming of disasters to build a better future. Thank you to those who have taken action. I’m proud to watch all of this,” wrote developer Taylor Monahan.

Recall that on April 21, the Arbitrum security council took "emergency measures" and froze 30,766 ETH (~$71.2 million) stolen from Kelp.