Aave Token Plunges 15% and TVL Drops by $7B After the rsETH Exploit

• Aave faces pressure after a $250M rsETH exploit shakes market confidence.
• Panic withdrawals wipe out $7 billion in TVL as liquidity stress spreads.
• AAVE drops 15% as exchange inflows surge and selling pressure rises.

Leading DeFi platform Aave is facing intense pressure after a major incident involving rsETH collateral triggered a sharp market reaction. This has wiped out billions in value locked and dragged down its token price.

rsETH Exploit Sparks System Stress

On April 18th, attackers gained access to unbacked rsETH tokens, by breaching Kelp DAO’s bridge and reportedly exploited $292 million worth of rsETH. The rsETH is a collateral asset used across multiple DeFi platforms. 

Since the hackers used these compromised tokens as collateral on platforms like Aave to borrow over 82,600 ETH, the protocol got a hit. As the collateral had no real value, this created a risk of bad debt.

When the situation escalated, some platforms froze activity, and large investors quickly withdrew funds, causing liquidity to drop and increasing stress across the system.

$7B TVL Wiped Out in Hours

A wave of panic withdrawals followed the incident, leading to a massive drop in total value locked (TVL). According to CryptoQuant, around $7 billion exited Aave within a single day.

This comes at a time when Aave has already been facing internal challenges, including the recent departures of key contributors such as BGD Labs and Chaos Labs.

Related: Aave Becomes First Lending Protocol to Cross $1 Billion in RWAs

Exchange Inflows Surge, Led by Binance

Amid the uncertainty, AAVE tokens flowed heavily into exchanges, increasing selling pressure. Data shows that inflows spiked far above normal levels. While the monthly average sits near 31,000 AAVE, more than 236,000 AAVE, worth around $21 million, was sent to Binance alone.

In total, cumulative inflows across exchanges exceeded 355,000 AAVE, equivalent to roughly $32 million.

Source: CryptoQuant

AAVE Price Drops 15%

The token reacted sharply to the unfolding situation. AAVE fell about 15% on the day, reflecting both investor anxiety and weakening sentiment around the protocol.

The combination of a high-profile exploit, heavy withdrawals, and rising exchange inflows paints a picture of short-term stress for Aave, even as the core protocol itself remains intact.