Aave DAO Consolidates Revenue Control via 'Aave Will Win' Proposal

Aave has resolved a months-long governance dispute with the passage of the 'Aave Will Win' (AWW) proposal. The framework mandates that 100% of revenue generated by Aave-branded products be redirected to the DAO, effectively ending a conflict over fee distribution that began in December. The dispute originated when delegates discovered that swap fees from the CoWSwap integration were being diverted away from the community treasury. The new proposal decisively shifts control of user-facing products and their associated revenue from Aave Labs to the token holders, eliminating what founder Stani Kulechov described as 'value leakage.' Financially, Aave's protocol revenue reached $140 million in 2025 and is expected to maintain that level through 2026. This base will now be supplemented by an estimated $10 million to $20 million in additional revenue from the application layer, including Aave Pro, Aave App, Horizon, and Aave Kit. To support ongoing development, the DAO approved a $25 million stablecoin grant and an allocation of 5,000 AAVE tokens, valued at approximately $6.8 million, to Aave Labs. This ensures the development team remains funded while the community retains economic ownership. The protocol, which currently holds roughly $25 billion in total value locked, is now pivoting toward Aave V4. This update will introduce a reinvestment feature to turn idle float capital into yield-generating positions and 'Spokes' to expand collateral options. Kulechov stated the long-term goal is to scale the network from $40 billion to $1 trillion.