The Aave community has voted in favor of the 'Aave Will Win' proposal, a landmark framework that redirects 100% of revenue from Aave-branded products back to the DAO, consolidating economic rights under the AAVE token. This move marks the end of a governance dispute that began when swap fees were quietly redirected away from the DAO treasury in December. The proposal, deemed 'the most important in Aave's history' by founder Stani Kulechov, approves a $25 million stablecoin grant and 5,000 AAVE token allocation to Aave Labs and positions the DAO as responsible for funding Aave Labs' activities. The Aave DAO, a community-run decision-making body, manages the Aave lending protocol, allowing token holders to vote on key decisions.
The 'Aave Will Win' proposal resolves a controversy that exposed deeper tensions over control of the protocol's valuable assets. With this decision, protocol revenue, which reached $140 million in 2025, will be supplemented by application-layer revenue from Aave Pro, Aave App, Horizon, and Aave Kit. The application layer aims to provide a 'fintech-like experience' with ambitious targets, including $1 million account protection per user and a card that generates fees for the treasury. The proposal takes a hard line against 'value leakage,' ensuring service providers build exclusively for Aave with measurable goals and zero tolerance for relationship gating or products built at the expense of token holders.
Technical advancements, including Aave V4's reinvestment feature and new 'Spokes,' will expand collateral options and address DeFi liquidity demands. With roughly $25 billion in total value locked, Aave aims to scale from $40 billion to $1 trillion, positioning itself as a financial network for fintech, banks, and asset managers.