The Aave community has voted in favor of the 'Aave Will Win' proposal, a framework that redirects all revenue from Aave-branded products back to the DAO, consolidating economic rights under the AAVE token. This shift makes the DAO responsible for funding Aave Labs' activities, with a $25 million stablecoin grant and 5,000 AAVE token allocation approved. The proposal resolves a dispute that began when swap fees were redirected away from the community treasury, decisively favoring token holders. Protocol revenue, which reached $140 million in 2025, will now be supplemented by application-layer revenue from various Aave products.
The proposal also takes a hard line against 'value leakage,' requiring service providers to build exclusively for Aave, with measurable goals and improved governance processes. Aave V4's reinvestment feature and new 'Spokes' will expand collateral options and create additional revenue streams. 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.