Balancer token holders approve orderly shutdown as fork proposal fails

Balancer said on Sept. 30 that BAL token holders approved BIP-928, a proposal to wind down the protocol in an orderly way, while BIP-929, which would have continued Balancer technology under a new name through a fork, did not pass. Existing pools will keep operating until Oct. 30, and users will be able to withdraw funds throughout the process. The deadline for partners to request an extension for certain V3 pools to remain active until Nov. 30 is Oct. 16. On Oct. 30, pools whose contracts can be paused will move into withdrawal-only mode, and the bug bounty program will end the same day. On Nov. 30, the V3 Vault will be paused. Balancer said its contracts are non-custodial, so withdrawals do not depend on the project continuing to operate. BAL holders do not need to take any action for now. Starting from late May 2027, holders will be able to burn BAL and receive a proportional share of DAO treasury assets, with the exact opening date to be announced at least two weeks in advance. Balancer also said it will publish guides for exiting pools through its app, third-party tools, and direct onchain interactions.