A significant governance vote has brought an end to a months-long dispute within the Aave community, with the passing of the 'Aave Will Win' proposal. This proposal, deemed the most crucial in Aave's history by its founder, redirects 100% of revenue from Aave-branded products back to the DAO, consolidating economic rights under the AAVE token. The decision signifies a shift towards a token-centric model, where the AAVE token is the central asset.
The vote approves a framework that allocates funds to Aave Labs for its activities, including a $25 million stablecoin grant and 5,000 AAVE tokens. This move resolves a controversy that began when swap fees were redirected away from the community treasury, highlighting a deeper issue over control of the protocol's revenue-generating products. The 'Aave Will Win' proposal decisively favors token holders, ensuring that protocol revenue, which reached $140 million in 2025, is supplemented by application-layer revenue. The proposal also introduces measures to prevent 'value leakage' and promotes a fintech-like experience for mainstream users.
Aave's vision includes expanding collateral options, investing in AI infrastructure, and scaling to become a financial network that can be integrated with various fintech, banks, or asset managers.