The announcement also cited disagreements over the framing of Aave v4 in relation to v3, including concerns about proposals to pause new feature development on v3 and outline a deprecation path before v4 is live. BGD stated it considers v3 mature and production-ready, with ongoing improvement potential.
Kulechov added:
Until April 1, BGD said its existing scope will continue without disruption, including upgrades, security work, and new chain integrations. For projects extending beyond that date, the firm plans to leave documentation enabling other contributors to assume maintenance responsibilities.
To support protocol stability, BGD proposed a two-month security retainer from April 1 to June 1, 2026, covering incident response for Aave v3, governance and Umbrella, at a total cost of $200,000. The retainer would require approval through a standalone governance proposal. Aave, the project’s native token, is down 3.3% on Sunday, Feb. 22, and has lost 7% over the last seven days.
FAQ Why is BGD Labs leaving Aave?BGD said organizational changes and strategic disagreements over v3 and v4 direction led to the decision. When does the departure take effect?The engagement concludes April 1, 2026. Will Aave v3 continue operating?BGD stated v3 is mature and can continue functioning without core changes. What is the proposed security retainer?A two-month, $200,000 retainer covering incident response from April 1 to June 1, 2026.
