Aave's Stani Kulechov Commits 5,000 ETH to DeFi United; Mantle Adds 30,000 ETH Backstop
Aave founder Stani Kulechov has pledged 5,000 ether to DeFi United, a broadbased recovery effort formed in the wake of the $292 million KelpDAO exploit. Mantle Network followed with a 30,000 ETH commitment, lifting total announced support above 43,500 ETH.
Kulechov disclosed the pledge on X, emphasizing the funds come from his personal holdings rather than the Aave treasury. The move comes as Aave faces pressure after the April 18 KelpDAO attack, in which $292 million in rsETH was drained via a vulnerability in the protocol's Layerzero bridge adapter. Because Aave markets had accepted rsETH as collateral, the event left the protocol exposed to potential bad debt across its Ethereum and Arbitrum pools.
The Arbitrum Security Council moved to contain the situation by freezing 30,766 ETH, about $71 million, linked to the exploiter. Even with those assets immobilized, the gap in Aave's collateral markets has pointed to a need for additional capital beyond onchain recoveries.
Other contributors have also stepped in. The Golem Foundation and Golem Factory jointly added 1,000 ETH from their treasuries, while Lido Finance and Etherfi are among protocols signaling support for the initiative.
Mantle's 30,000 ETH pledge, valued at about $70.5 million at current prices, is the largest single backstop disclosed so far. Mantle had no direct exposure to the KelpDAO exploit, but its participation underscores a view among DeFi teams that stress in a major lending venue can quickly spread across the sector.
The fallout from rsETH's collateral impairment has already coincided with a sharp decline in sectorwide liquidity. DefiLlama data shows total value locked fell by roughly $14 billion, from $99.49 billion to about $85.32 billion.
Frax Protocol is also moving toward formal involvement. Kulechov said Frax is preparing a community governance proposal to join DeFi United. Like Mantle, Frax had no direct exposure to rsETH, positioning its support as an ecosystemstability measure rather than a defensive necessity.
