The Aave community has voted in favor of the Aave Will Win proposal, marking the end of a prolonged governance dispute. This proposal, deemed the most significant in Aave's history by founder Stani Kulechov, establishes a framework that redirects 100% of 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 passage of the Aave Will Win proposal resolves a controversy that arose in December when it was discovered that swap fees had been quietly redirected away from the community treasury. This proposal decisively favors token holders, ensuring that protocol revenue, which reached $140 million in 2025, will be supplemented by application-layer revenue from various Aave products.
The focus now shifts to the application layer, with ambitions to provide a fintech-like experience for mainstream users through Aave App, generating additional revenue for the treasury. The proposal also addresses 'value leakage' by requiring service providers to build exclusively for Aave, with measurable goals and improved governance processes. Technically, Aave V4's reinvestment feature and new 'Spokes' will expand collateral options and address DeFi liquidity demands. 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.