Aave Consolidates Revenue Streams Under AAVE Token Following Landmark Governance Vote

Aave governance has officially passed the 'Aave Will Win' (AWW) proposal, a pivotal shift that consolidates all economic rights of the protocol's branded products under the AAVE token. This decision ends a governance conflict that began in December after concerns arose regarding the redirection of swap fees away from the DAO treasury. Under the new framework, 100% of revenue from Aave-branded products—including Aave Pro, Aave App, Horizon, and Aave Kit—will flow directly to the DAO. This transition transforms the AAVE token into the central asset for value capture, while the DAO assumes responsibility for funding Aave Labs' operational activities. The protocol generated $140 million in revenue in 2025 and is expected to maintain similar levels in 2026. Additionally, application-layer swaps are contributing an estimated $10 million to $20 million in supplemental revenue. 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, for Aave Labs. The proposal aims to eliminate 'value leakage' by requiring service providers to build exclusively for the Aave ecosystem. Looking ahead, the launch of Aave V4 will introduce a reinvestment feature to generate yield from idle capital. With roughly $25 billion in total value locked (TVL), founder Stani Kulechov aims to scale the network from $40 billion to $1 trillion, positioning Aave as a foundational financial layer for global fintechs and banks.