Aave Winds Down Family Wallet, Shifts Focus to Core DeFi Products
Aave, a decentralised non-custodial liquidity protocol, is narrowing its focus as it moves away from consumer-facing wallet products. Founder Stani Kulechov announced that the company will wind down its Family iOS wallet over time and drop the Avera brand, with all operations shifting fully to Aave Labs.
The company believes that everyday users are more likely to adopt crypto through practical financial tools like lending and savings rather than broad wallet apps. From April 1, 2026, Family will stop onboarding new users, while existing users can continue using the app until April 2027. The move follows Aave’s recent decision to hand over its Lens Protocol to Mask Network, marking a clear narrowing of its overall strategy.
Why Aave Is Stepping Away from Consumer Wallets
Aave Founder Stani Kulechov announced that the DeFi protocol will slowly shut down its Family iOS wallet over the next year and retire the Avara brand, bringing all of its operations under Aave Labs. Kulechov stated via an X post earlier today,
“We are winding down the Family iOS wallet. Family Accounts will continue to power the Aave App as part of Aave’s infrastructure, helping bring millions of users into DeFi.”
This strategic move shows Aave’s belief that most people will use crypto through specific financial services like lending and savings, rather than broad wallet apps. Family will stop accepting new users from April 1, while current users can continue using the app until April 2027 before moving to Aave’s main platform.
This decision comes just weeks after Aave handed control of its Lens Protocol social network to Mask Network. Together, these changes mark a clear shift away from expansion and toward a more focused strategy after years of growth and internal challenges.
Why This Infrastructure-First Approach?
According to Kulechov, the decision to focus more on infrastructure comes from lessons learnt while trying to bring millions of users into crypto through different products. He explained that people are more likely to adopt crypto through clear, purpose-built tools like savings apps, rather than broad, all-purpose wallets.
The Family team, which the company acquired in 2023 for its design expertise, has worked across several Aave products, including Aave Pro, the mobile app, and the platform’s overall brand. While the standalone Family app is being phased out, its core technology, called Family Accounts, will continue to support login and embedded wallet features across Aave’s products. The founder wrote in his X post,
“Over the years, the Family team has made significant contributions across multiple products, including Aave Pro, the Aave App, and Aave’s brand identity, earning strong recognition for their work. Through this journey, we’ve learned that onboarding millions of users requires purpose-built experiences, such as savings, rather than generic, open-ended wallet experiences.”
Despite the shutdown, current Family users will still have full control over their funds through accounts.aave.com using their existing credentials. The team stated, “Family Accounts will continue as core infrastructure within Aave Labs products, and we’re very excited to keep bringing Aave and DeFi to mainstream users through simpler, safer, and more focused products.”
Over time, the app will be limited to basic functions like viewing accounts and withdrawing funds. Kulechov stated that this infrastructure-based approach will offer a smoother user experience, stronger security, and simpler interfaces, while ensuring users keep full control of their assets.
