Kelp and Aave Complete rsETH Recovery Process After Exploit

🔐 Recovery Complete

By KelpDAO
May 18, 2026, 3:58 PM
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Recovery Operations Finalized

Kelp and Aave have successfully completed the recovery process for rsETH following a recent exploit:

  • 117,132 rsETH will be progressively refilled over two weeks from Aave Recovery Guardian and Kelp Recovery Safe into the LayerZero OFT adapter on mainnet
  • Exploiter's rsETH on Arbitrum has been burned
  • rsETH remains fully backed across Mainnet and L2s throughout the process

Service Resumption

  • Withdrawals to be unpaused within 24 hours after first tranche transfer
  • All operations (deposits, redemptions, bridging, claims) will resume after contract unpausing

Enhanced Security Measures

  • Verification now requires 4 independent attestors (previously fewer)
  • Block confirmations increased from 42 to 64
  • All L2-to-L2 routes deprecated
  • Migration to CCIP in progress for stronger cross-chain bridging
  • Changes audited by BailSec

Verify on-chain:

Sources
Read more about KelpDAO

rsETH Consolidates Networks: 20 Chains Losing Support by June 15

**KelpDAO is discontinuing rsETH bridging support for 20 networks** after June 15, 2026, citing security standards and usage patterns. **Affected chains include:** - Optimism, Manta, Mode, Blast, Scroll - X Layer, zkSync, Zircuit, Swellchain, Hemi - Berachain, Sonic, HyperEVM, Unichain, TAC - Avalanche, Plasma Stable, MegaETH, Monad, Movement **Key deadlines:** - Bridge rsETH back to Ethereum mainnet by June 15 - Post-deadline recovery available for 100 USDC per address This consolidation follows recent security incidents, including a LayerZero exploit that resulted in $300M losses across DeFi. KelpDAO is migrating to Chainlink CCIP for enhanced cross-chain security. The protocol recently resumed full operations after pausing deposits and withdrawals, with all rsETH now fully backed across mainnet and remaining L2s.

DeFi Ecosystem Unites to Restore rsETH Backing Through Coordinated Effort

**Major DeFi protocols collaborated to restore backing for rsETH**, KelpDAO's liquid restaking token built on Eigenlayer. **Key participants in the restoration effort:** - Lending protocols: Aave (with leaders Stani Kulechov and The3D_) - Stablecoin issuers: Circle, Ethena - Liquid staking: Lido Finance, Ether.fi - Infrastructure: Consensys, Mantle Network - Development: BGD Labs - Additional contributors: Golem Project, Ink Foundation, Tydro HQ, Frax Finance The initiative, dubbed **"DeFi United,"** also saw participation from thousands of individual community members. Ethena's contribution was specifically highlighted as part of their ongoing commitment to Aave and the broader DeFi ecosystem. The coordinated response demonstrates the interconnected nature of DeFi protocols and their willingness to collaborate during critical situations affecting ecosystem stability.

Kelp and Mantle Discuss DeFi Growth in Upcoming Twitter Space

Kelp and Mantle Discuss DeFi Growth in Upcoming Twitter Space

**Kelp and Mantle are hosting a Twitter Space on March 5 at 1 PM UTC** to discuss the recent growth in Mantle's DeFi ecosystem. The conversation will cover: - Factors driving DeFi expansion on Mantle - Kelp's rsETH integration and its role in the ecosystem - Future developments and plans This follows a previous AMA in September 2024 where Mantle discussed its Layer 2 positioning. [Join the Space](https://x.com/i/spaces/1MJgNgbZQNkGL?s=20)

KUSD Rewards Backed by Real Payment Settlement Activity, Not Market Speculation

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