Blast has officially shut down its Ethereum layer-2 blockchain, ending operations on November 4, 2026, after concluding that maintaining the network was no longer financially sustainable.
The team launched a dedicated recovery website allowing users to reclaim cryptocurrency remaining on the discontinued network.
According to Blast, users have 12 months to recover their assets, with the recovery process remaining available until November 4, 2027.
The shutdown affects users holding ETH, wrapped ETH (WETH) and USDB, including assets associated with pending withdrawals and Blast Mobile.
Rather than processing transactions through the discontinued layer-2 network, claims are now handled through recovery smart contracts on Ethereum mainnet.
The Blast L2 has been shut down.
— Blast (@blast) November 4, 2026
If you had any remaining ETH or USD in your L2 wallet, in a pending withdrawal, or in Blast Mobile, you can recover your assets at https://t.co/1v26S0Jw2E.
This recovery website will be active for 12 months, final support date Nov 4, 2027.
The Blast L2 has been shut down.
— Blast (@blast) November 4, 2026
If you had any remaining ETH or USD in your L2 wallet, in a pending withdrawal, or in Blast Mobile, you can recover your assets at https://t.co/1v26S0Jw2E.
This recovery website will be active for 12 months, final support date Nov 4, 2027.
How Blast Users Can Recover Their Crypto
Blast has introduced a recovery process that allows eligible users to withdraw remaining cryptocurrency directly to Ethereum.
Users can visit the project's official website and search for addresses previously holding ETH, WETH or USDB on Blast.
The system also supports authorized claim addresses, including certain smart contract wallets such as Safe.
Once eligibility is established, recovery payments are distributed through Ethereum mainnet smart contracts, removing the need to interact with the inactive layer-2 network.
Blast Mobile users face a slightly different process because their original application addresses do not exist on Ethereum.
These users must import their wallet recovery phrase into a compatible wallet application, such as MetaMask or Rabby, before connecting to the recovery interface.
Users should verify they are accessing the official recovery platform, as shutdown-related announcements can attract phishing attempts targeting cryptocurrency holders.
Blast Bridge Assets Drop More Than 84%
The amount of cryptocurrency remaining in Blast's canonical Ethereum bridge has declined sharply as users withdraw funds ahead of the shutdown.
According to DeFiLlama, the bridge held approximately $41.04 million on October 26.
By November 3, that figure had fallen to roughly $6.51 million, representing a decline of approximately 84%.
The sharpest movement occurred between October 30 and October 31, when the bridge balance reportedly dropped from $36.63 million to $6.59 million.
However, these figures represent assets remaining in the bridge rather than the total amount successfully recovered through the new claims system.
The remaining bridge balance also does not necessarily equal the value of outstanding user claims.
Blast Says Operating Costs Became Unsustainable
Blast first announced its shutdown plans on October 2, explaining that the blockchain could no longer generate sufficient revenue to justify its operating expenses.
Blast originally aimed to create a self-sustaining Ethereum scaling network supporting developers and cryptocurrency users.
However, the project concluded that its ongoing maintenance costs exceeded the revenue generated by the network.
As part of the shutdown process, Blast withdrew assets from the liquid staking protocol Lido and temporarily restricted withdrawals.
The team later reduced the standard withdrawal waiting period to 24 hours.
October 26 marked the final day for withdrawals through the regular Blast interface, although Ethereum bridge contracts remained available afterward.
Katana Takes Snapshot of Blast Users
DeFi-focused blockchain Katana has taken snapshots of Blast users and their wallet activity as the network completes its shutdown.
Katana initially announced a snapshot on October 26 and repeated the process on November 4.
The project also indicated that wallets participating in the Katana ecosystem could receive additional boosts.
However, the snapshot announcement does not guarantee token rewards or compensation for former Blast users.
For now, the priority remains recovering assets from the discontinued network.
Blast users have until November 4, 2027, to submit recovery claims, after which the team has not committed to maintaining the recovery service.
The shutdown highlights the financial challenges facing Ethereum layer-2 networks, particularly those struggling to generate enough activity and revenue to support ongoing operations.
