Aave is set to pull the plug on six blockchain deployments, targeting those with minimal user engagement and deposits plunging more than 70% in just six months. The decision aims to cut costs and reduce risks by retiring markets that no longer justify their maintenance expenses.
The protocol’s proposal includes exiting Sonic, Scroll, zkSync, Metis, Soneium, and Aptos. These chains account for less than 1% of Aave’s $14 billion in assets, holding only about $13 million across 23 networks, according to DefiLlama data. Deposits on these chains have nosedived drastically: Soneium dropped 95%, Aptos fell 94%, zkSync declined 88%, Scroll 86%, Metis 79%, and Sonic 74%. With such steep declines, generating revenue is no longer viable. For context, each of these six deployments brings in less than $5,000 per quarter, with some pulling in under $1,000. Maintaining them requires feeding price data, managing liquidations, and ongoing system oversight costs that far outweigh the revenue.
Aave will freeze new activity on these markets and hike borrowing costs to encourage users to close their positions voluntarily. The network’s Ethereum mainnet, in comparison, generates more than $142 million annually, making these smaller chains' returns negligible. This clean-up move complements other recent protocol adjustments, such as the phase-out of markets on Scroll, zkSync, and Aptos.
Aave borrowers have paid close to $888 million in interest over the last year, but it mainly flows back to suppliers rather than covering operational costs for marginal chains. The governance vote will determine the final outcome, but the economics clearly favor shedding these low-yield, high-maintenance markets to focus on more profitable deployments.
This content is informational and should not be taken as financial advice.
