Greetings, Aave community!
Given that BGD’s agreement has come to an end, we would like to ensure uninterrupted continuity around continuity across several technical and operational areas of the Aave ecosystem. The purpose of this post is to provide clarity on how Aave Labs has been approaching the transition and to reduce uncertainty for the DAO.
First, BGD has been a major contributor to Aave over the years. Their work across protocol development, security practices, governance infrastructure, tooling, and operational processes helped shape much of what today works reliably across the ecosystem. Those contributions created lasting value for the DAO, and they will be missed.
Aave Labs has reviewed the activity areas currently under transition and is prepared to assume the majority of the workstreams currently handled by BGD. We have the engineering capacity, and operational familiarity to support an orderly transition and minimize disruption. Where formal role changes, ownership transfers, or coordination with other contributors are required, we will work through the appropriate DAO processes. More broadly, the Aave Protocol should be structured in a way that any individual contributor or service layer can be replaced with zero impact on the protocol itself.
We are already in active discussions with BGD to support a smooth handover. These conversations have been constructive, and BGD has been open and supportive throughout. Beyond governance coordination and the Bored Guides workstream, which follow their own coordination path, we are working through the practical transition items with the objective of preserving day-to-day execution across ongoing responsibilities. If needed, those conversations can continue beyond today to ensure the handover is completed responsibly.
Continuity Across Aave’s Core Protocol
On the protocol side, Aave V3 remains in a strong position. It is a mature system with established operational processes, proven market infrastructure, and a security posture built over years of production use. As the original developer of Aave V3, Aave Labs is well positioned to continue supporting that foundation so that it keeps serving as the core lending pillar of DeFi with the same focus on resilience, financial soundness, and disciplined execution.
Principles Guiding Aave Labs’ Work
Transitions like this matter not only because of who performs the work, but because of how the work is executed. Aave Labs follows a set of principles that shape its approach to protocol development, security, and long-term stewardship.
Security over speed
Security is not treated as a final check before release. It is embedded from the design stage through implementation, review, and launch planning. When additional hardening time is required, Aave Labs will prioritize robustness and resilience over shipping faster.
Layered review, not single-point assurance
Aave Labs does not rely on a single control, provider, or methodology. Internal review, formal verification, audits, invariant testing, fuzzing, public security programs, and ongoing monitoring each play a distinct role in reducing risk and improving confidence.
Controlled change management
As systems approach production, the priority shifts from feature velocity to stability. Scope is narrowed, non-essential changes are constrained, and review cycles are focused on remediations, validation, and launch readiness.
Open coordination with service providers and integrators
Aave Labs works in close coordination with risk and security providers, integrators, and other DAO contributors so that design assumptions, operational risks, and implementation constraints are surfaced early and addressed before they become production issues.
Long-term maintainability over short-term convenience
The objective is not only to deliver features, but to maintain a protocol architecture and operating model that can remain robust over time. That includes clear processes, auditable systems, and technical foundations that do not depend on any single contributor to remain effective.
These principles will continue to guide how Aave Labs supports the protocol and approaches its ongoing responsibilities across the ecosystem.
Strengthening the DAO’s Technical Operating Model
Overall, the transition scope is broad, but it is manageable, and the DAO should expect a structured handover rather than operational disruption. This transition should also be approached as an opportunity to strengthen the DAO’s technical operating model. In addition to preserving continuity, Aave Labs intends to keep investing in tooling, contributor workflows, and execution improvements that can further increase efficiency, reliability, and long-term maintainability across the ecosystem.
The activities being transitioned span several core areas:
Protocol development and lifecycle management
-
V3 upgrades, activations, and legacy V2 offboarding support
-
New chain expansion and technical evaluation
-
Friendly forks management and technical support
-
Umbrella expansion and related protocol infrastructure
Governance infrastructure and proposal operations
-
Proposal generator workflow, CI, and deployment pipeline maintenance
-
Governance proposal technical reviews
-
Governance v3 interface hosting and operational maintenance
-
Multisig review support and governance coordination infrastructure
-
DNS and hosting control transfer for governance interfaces
Security and resilience
-
Fire drill planning and execution
-
Security disclosure handling, audits, bug bounty coordination, and incident response
-
Aave Seatbelt and related governance safety mechanisms
-
Bridge adapter maintenance and Proof-of-Reserve emergency automation
-
Ongoing review of chain upgrades and protocol security implications
Risk, listings, and parameterization support
-
Technical analysis of new assets to be listed
-
Technical support for risk teams on parameter management
-
AGRS framework support and Aave V3 risk agents middleware, together with other service providers
-
Pricing management infrastructure, including CAPOs
-
Continued work tied to liquidation performance and oracle-related improvements
Operational tooling and ecosystem infrastructure
-
DAO GitHub repository maintenance
-
Aave Robot infrastructure and monitoring operations, together with other service providers
-
Address Book and Permission Book maintenance
-
ENS and domain ownership management
-
Continued improvement of DAO tooling and contributor workflows
-
Aave V3 rewards and liquidity mining utilities
What This Transition Does Not Mean
Taking on a broader share of technical responsibilities should not be interpreted as a move toward centralization, exclusivity, or reduced accountability. Aave Labs will continue operating within the DAO’s existing governance framework, with technical execution remaining transparent, reviewable, and coordinated with other service providers and contributors. Governance remains with the DAO, and technical work should continue to be transparent, reviewable, and open to coordination with multiple service providers and contributors.
Likewise, this should not be understood as a shift toward reactive or short-term execution. Aave Labs will continue operating with the same emphasis on deliberate prioritization, rigorous review, and long-term protocol resilience. Where tradeoffs arise, rigor should continue to take precedence over velocity, and changes should remain grounded in careful review, operational readiness, and long-term soundness.
This also should not be understood as an attempt to make Aave dependent on any single party. The protocol, its repositories, interfaces, and related operational assets should continue evolving toward structures that are durable, auditable, and transferable over time, so that continuity does not rely on any one contributor remaining in place indefinitely.
Finally, Aave Labs remains focused on products, infrastructure, and initiatives that are directly aligned with Aave’s growth and the DAO’s long-term objectives. The direction remains focused on Aave-related products, protocol development, and ecosystem growth, under a model where work is aligned with the DAO and accountable to token holders.
We want to thank BGD again for the quality and depth of their contributions to Aave. A large amount of the infrastructure behind the protocol’s day-to-day reliability reflects their rigor and long-term commitment. That work deserves recognition, and we appreciate their openness in helping support an orderly transition.
Aave Labs