Aave hits the prune button on 75 reserve assets 🌿 — roughly $98.1M in reserves and $15.6M in loans set for a gradual phase-out.

Aave founder Stani Kulechov announced a sweeping restructuring of the decentralized lending protocol, revealing plans to wind down support for 75 reserve assets across multiple networks as part of a broader efficiency drive. The move will gradually retire 50 low-utilization reserve assets on Aave's native network and an additional 25 reserve assets deployed on Sonic, Scroll, zkSync, Metis, Soneium, and Aptos.

According to figures released alongside the announcement, the affected reserves total approximately $98.1 million, while roughly $15.6 million in outstanding loan positions sit on the impacted assets. Aave management framed the decision as a way to concentrate platform resources on assets with demonstrated user demand, noting that the protocol had expanded support across numerous blockchain networks in recent years and now intends to streamline its footprint.

The protocol said support will be phased out gradually, with transition plans in place to minimize disruption for existing users. Aave currently ranks among the world's largest DeFi protocols by total value locked (TVL) and provides lending and borrowing services across multiple chains. Industry observers note that pruning low-liquidity or underused assets is a common maintenance practice in DeFi, helping platforms reduce operational overhead while tightening security.

Data cited in the announcement indicates that several of the targeted reserves failed to reach expected transaction volumes, prompting the consolidation. The phased timeline is intended to give borrowers and liquidity providers time to reposition positions before full deprecation. No specific calendar dates were disclosed for the start or completion of each phase.

The restructuring is expected to redirect attention toward Aave's higher-activity markets and reduce the maintenance burden of carrying thin order books across disparate chains. Aave added that additional communication would follow as each asset approaches its scheduled wind-down.