Aero replaces Aerodrome and Velodrome emissions with a new rewards system; token upgrades are manual and require final-epoch voters to claim rewards before retiring locked positions.
Tech & Launches ·
Aerodrome and Velodrome are consolidating into Aero at 00:00 UTC on October 22, 2026, replacing their separate token-reward systems with a unified exchange across seven networks including Base, Ethereum, Optimism, Arc, Ink, Robinhood Chain, and Arbitrum. The merger allocates 94.5% of the upgraded supply to Aerodrome holders and 5.5% to Velodrome holders, with no venture allocation or token sale. Token upgrades are entirely manual: liquid tokens convert one-for-one on Aerodrome's side and at approximately 0.044 new $AERO per $VELO on Velodrome's side, while locked positions convert to sAERO instead of remaining in their original form.
The upgrade process carries specific operational constraints. Holders of locked veNFTs must claim rewards and reset votes before upgrading, with final-epoch voters subject to a one-hour delay—upgrades for those positions begin at 01:00 UTC on October 22, after protocol operations conclude. Liquid tokens and non-voting veNFTs can upgrade from launch. Only the wallet owning a veNFT can upgrade it; positions held in vaults or lending markets must be withdrawn first. Once claimed, any unclaimed rewards cannot be recovered, and the old veNFT is retired in favor of a new sAERO position.
Liquidity migration operates separately from token conversion. Users must manually move their deposits into Aero pools; upgrading a token does not automatically migrate the liquidity position containing it. Some legacy pools lack direct Aero equivalents at launch and require manual withdrawal. Centralized exchange custody requires users to follow their exchange's specific instructions for token migration, independent of Aero's timeline.