Aave Labs introduced the “Aave Will Win” initiative, urging the community to channel all earnings from products to the Aave DAO treasury and to approve a range of governance and financial adjustments. This action aims to unify revenue sources from interfaces and products under DAO management, while seeking a single funding allocation to maintain Aave Labs’ functions .
Aave Labs has introduced a proposal that would redirect revenue from all Aave-branded product lines directly to the DAO, while also seeking formal ratification of Aave V4 as the protocol’s long-term development foundation. In practical terms, the shift would mean that product value accrues to AAVE token holders through the DAO structure, rather than to a single for-profit entity stewarding the brand.
The scope of the proposal is broad. It covers revenue generated from the aave.com interface and swap integration, the Aave mobile app and Aave Card, as well as enterprise and RWA-oriented initiatives such as Aave Pro, Aave Kit and Aave Horizon. It also includes product-related income from the AAVE ETP and other affiliated offerings.
Under the plan, 100% of product and future V4 protocol revenue would be routed to the DAO, building on V3’s reported $100+ million annualized revenue base and a roughly $10 million run-rate attributed to the aave.com swap feature.
Financially, the request totals approximately $50 million. That includes up to $42.5 million in stablecoins—split between a $25 million primary grant and $17.5 million tied to product milestones—plus 75,000 AAVE tokens, valued at around $8 million at the time of submission.
Governance concerns and obstacles for Aave
The proposal quickly sparked debate within governance forums. Critics, including delegate Marc Zeller, questioned the scale of the funding request relative to prior grants and raised concerns about bundling multiple consequential decisions—revenue redirection, V4 ratification, brand foundation creation and grant approval—into a single vote. Some delegates argued that such packaging risks blurring lines of authority and complicating accountability.
Community members have asked how “revenue” will be formally defined and audited, and whether including 75,000 AAVE tokens in the grant could affect voting dynamics. The structure of oversight, reporting requirements and enforcement mechanisms are likely to become focal points as the discussion advances.
Market response on the day of the announcement was modestly positive. AAVE rose roughly 2% on February 12, 2026, even as broader markets leaned risk-off. Supporters contend that channeling revenue to the DAO could enable structured buybacks, treasury yield strategies and more predictable ecosystem funding. Detractors, however, warn that concentration of decisions without tighter guardrails could introduce governance risk.
The proposal remained in early-stage governance discussion. Its outcome will determine whether Aave’s product revenues become a durable DAO income stream and how development is financed going forward.
