Aave's decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) has passed a crucial initial vote, known as a Temperature Check, for a landmark proposal that would redirect 100% of Aave Labs' product revenue to the AAVE token. Founder Stani Kulechov confirmed the "Aave Will Win" proposal passed, moving it to the next refinement stage, the Aave Request for Comment (ARFC).
The proposal outlines a fully token-centric economic model where all gross revenue from Aave-branded products flows directly to the DAO treasury. This includes revenue from the main interface (aave.com), the upcoming mobile app, the Aave Card program, institutional services like Aave Pro, and the real-world asset platform Aave Horizon. Potential future revenue from an AAVE exchange-traded product is also included. The framework is designed to reduce value leakage and formalize the economic relationship between Aave Labs and the DAO, aligning with the upcoming Aave V4 upgrade which will serve as the base layer for this structure.
In exchange for redirecting all revenue, Aave Labs has requested a substantial funding package from the DAO. The request includes $25 million in stablecoins and 75,000 AAVE tokens, valued at approximately $8.48 million in late February, bringing the total request to nearly $51 million. The proposal also calls for the creation of an Aave Foundation to hold trademarks and intellectual property on behalf of the DAO.
The proposal follows earlier community debates over control of Aave's brand assets and governance responsibilities. While the Temp Check signals early support, the proposal must now undergo structural revisions based on community feedback in the ARFC stage before potentially proceeding to a final on-chain vote. The governance process unfolds as Aave, one of the largest decentralized lending platforms, reports over $1 trillion in cumulative loan volume.
