The Aave community has put an end to a months-long dispute over protocol revenue control by approving the 'Aave Will Win' proposal. This move marks a significant shift in the governance of the Aave lending protocol, with 100% of revenue from all Aave-branded products now being redirected back to the DAO and consolidated under the AAVE token.
The proposal, which founder Stani Kulechov described as 'the most important in Aave's history,' aims to establish a token-centric model, where the AAVE token is the central asset. The community has also approved a $25 million stablecoin grant and 5,000 AAVE token allocation to Aave Labs. This development resolves a controversy that arose in December when it was discovered that swap fees had been quietly redirected away from the community treasury. The 'Aave Will Win' proposal decisively favors token holders, ensuring that 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 proposal also takes a hard line against 'value leakage,' ensuring that service providers build exclusively for Aave and adhere to measurable goals. With this move, Aave aims to scale from $40 billion to $1 trillion, positioning itself as a financial network that can be integrated into by any fintech, bank, or asset manager.