Aave Labs Explores Revenue Sharing With AAVE Token Holders

• Aave Labs said it will propose sharing non-protocol revenue with AAVE token holders after a governance vote rejected an IP transfer.
• The plan includes governance safeguards, brand control rules, and support for scaling Aave beyond DeFi through Aave V4.

Aave Labs is preparing a proposal to share revenue generated outside the Aave Protocol with AAVE token holders, founder and Aave Labs CEO Stani Kulechov said on the Aave governance forum. The plan follows a governance process in which token holders rejected a request tied to control of certain brand assets and intellectual property connected to the Aave ecosystem. The announcement, posted by Aave founder Stani Kulechov, triggered renewed interest in AAVE, with the token rising more than 10% as investors welcomed signs of greater alignment between Aave Labs and token holders.

Aave Labs said that, in response to recent community discussions, it plans to explore sharing a portion of revenue generated outside the protocol with AAVE token holders and will submit a formal proposal outlining specific structures. The proposal will also include governance and…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) January 2, 2026

In the post, Kulechov said value sharing should be clearer between the protocol, its DAO, and teams building products on top of Aave. He said a formal proposal will outline a structure for distributing non-protocol revenue to AAVE holders and will revisit branding and IP arrangements with guardrails for the DAO and token holders. He wrote:

“Given the recent conversations in the community, at Aave Labs we are committed to sharing revenue generated outside the protocol with token holders.”

The debate intensified after a snapshot vote on a proposal to transfer control of certain “brand assets,” including domains and social media handles, to a DAO-controlled vehicle. The poll closed on December 26, with 55.29% voting against, 41.21% abstaining, and 3.5% voting in favor. As CNF reported, the result reopened questions about governance influence, funding, and how token holders benefit from activity associated with the Aave brand as a whole. Aave Labs Vision: Governance and Growth Beyond DeFi A central point of disagreement has been swap-related fees tied to trading features accessed through Aave’s interface, including trades routed through integrated services such as CoW Swap. Some participants argued that revenues from these flows should flow to the DAO, while others supported Aave Labs retaining access to revenue streams to fund development and product work. Tensions also rose after Kulechov disclosed buying about $15 million worth of AAVE tokens. He said the purchase reflected personal conviction and was not used to vote on the brand-assets proposal. Delegates and contributors have called for clearer alignment between core contributors and token holders. Kulechov has emphasized that product development should remain outside the DAO funding scope, stating:

“The DAO does not currently have the capacity to fund user acquisition at the scale required to compete with TradFi companies.”

Instead, he proposed allowing independent, opinionated teams to build consumer-facing applications atop the permissionless Aave Protocol, while the protocol itself captures upside through usage and increased activity. Aave’s lending activity remains large but is concentrated in crypto-native collateral such as ETH and BTC and strategies linked to market cycles. Kulechov said Aave V4 is intended to support a modular architecture that can isolate risk and accommodate new lending models, including real-world asset structures and borrowing via qualified custodians. He also said Aave’s stablecoin, GHO, is expected to be used in future yield and savings offerings. Separately, he said the DAO generated $140 million in revenue during 2025, and that token holders control the treasury.  The broader goal is to extend Aave’s reach far beyond its current DeFi footprint. As CNF detailed, Stani envisions Aave supporting hundreds of trillions in global assets over time and onboarding tens of millions of users through high-quality consumer products. On the back of the bullish proposal, the AAVE price has reacted positively, recording massive gains. According to Santiment, AAVE has been among the best-performing altcoins in the recovery in 2026. At press time, AAVE price was trading at $161.74, a 7.9% surge in the last 24 hours after finding support at $149.