The Aave community has voted in favor of the 'Aave Will Win' proposal, marking a significant milestone in the protocol's history. This proposal, deemed the most important in Aave's history by founder Stani Kulechov, establishes a framework that redirects all revenue from Aave-branded products back to the DAO, consolidating economic rights under the AAVE token. As a result, the DAO will now be responsible for funding Aave Labs' activities, with a $25 million stablecoin grant and 5,000 AAVE token allocation approved.
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 dispute that began in December when it was discovered that swap fees had been quietly redirected away from the community treasury.
This controversy highlighted a deeper tension over control of the protocol's most valuable assets. The proposal decisively favors token holders, with protocol revenue, which reached $140 million in 2025, now supplemented by application-layer revenue from various Aave products.
The application layer is a key area of focus, with Aave App aiming to provide a 'fintech-like experience' for mainstream users, complete with $1 million account protection per user and a card that generates fees for the treasury. The proposal also takes a hard line against 'value leakage,' ensuring that service providers build exclusively for Aave and do not prioritize their own interests over those of token holders. Technical developments, including Aave V4's reinvestment feature and the introduction of 'Spokes,' are expected to create additional revenue streams and expand collateral options.
With roughly $25 billion in total value locked, Aave is the largest lending protocol in DeFi, and the community is targeting significant growth, with Kulechov aiming to scale from $40 billion to $1 trillion and position Aave as a financial network that can be utilized by fintech, banks, and asset managers.