A months-long governance dispute within the Aave community has come to an end, with the approval of the 'Aave Will Win' proposal, which redirects 100% of revenue from Aave-branded products back to the DAO and consolidates economic rights under the AAVE token. The proposal, described by founder Stani Kulechov as the most important in Aave's history, marks a significant shift in the protocol's governance, with the DAO now responsible for funding Aave Labs' activities. As part of the proposal, Aave Labs has been granted a $25 million stablecoin grant and 5,000 AAVE token allocation to support its operations.
The Aave DAO, a community-run decision-making body, has effectively taken control of the protocol's most valuable assets, including user-facing products and the revenue they generate. The proposal resolves a controversy that emerged in December when it was discovered that swap-related fees had been quietly redirected away from the community treasury. With the approval of the 'Aave Will Win' proposal, Aave is set to become fully token-centric, with a single asset and model. The protocol's revenue, which reached $140 million in 2025, is expected to increase with the addition of 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 do not redirect revenue away from token holders. With its ambitious plans, Aave aims to scale from $40 billion to $1 trillion, positioning itself as a financial network that can be integrated by fintech companies, banks, and asset managers.