Aave Labs Eyes Revenue Sharing With AAVE Holders

Technology company Aave Labs has announced the consideration of exploring revenue sharing among AAVE token holders to satisfy the widespread community debate. For now, the idea involves distributing the revenue obtained or generated outside the protocol to token holders through governance mechanisms.

Founder and CEO Stani highlighted that the move aligns with Aave’s broader growth strategy and long-term vision. Stani emphasized that Aave is at a pivotal crossroads. “We’re optimizing for a market that, while profitable, represents a fraction of the opportunity ahead,” he said. He noted that the majority of lending still revolves around ETH, BTC, and leverage-driven strategies. 

The initial vision of Aave, formerly ETHLend, was broader: using smart contracts for lending across all asset classes. Stani believes Aave can scale to a $500 trillion asset base over coming decades and reach tens of millions of users via the Aave DApp.

Expanding the protocol with Aave V4

Aave V4 plays a crucial role in this expansion. Stani explained that moving beyond purely on-chain crypto collateral requires modular architecture. This design safely supports new trust assumptions while isolating risk.

“Aave V4 allows use cases such as custom RWA-backed lending, borrowing via qualified custodians, or integration with margin and brokerage accounts,” he said. The modular approach also improves capital efficiency and supports innovation without compromising safety.

Demand for main real-world asset integration is already there, according to Stani. Projects such as Horizon have showcased institutional interest in RWA lending. He further explained that V4 would allow developers to experiment with new features, increase revenue for the protocol, and create an even more open environment for innovation. Also, GHO could be used as a universal savings primitive to reach further yield and credit opportunities.

Community and governance dynamics

Despite Stani’s announcement, tensions remain within the Aave community. Marc Zeller highlighted that uncertainty around revenue and governance previously cost the AAVE market roughly $500 million in market cap. He stressed that ownership of Aave’s strategic brand assets must remain with the DAO. 

“Stewardship can be delegated back to Avara under a clear operational mandate and security standards,” Zeller wrote. Concrete steps he outlined included clarity on transferred assets, licensing, and mechanisms for dispute resolution in Phase 2 negotiations.

A community member named BrazenSeeker made the same suggestion for 100% revenue to be assigned to the DAO on the back of long-term investor value.  According to him, communities that share revenue models create ambiguities in the revenue flows and negatively influence the valuation multiple. “If Stani wants to build businesses on top of Aave and does not share 100% of the revenue with the Aave DAO, then they should not use the Aave name, branding, etc.,” he wrote.

The revenue-sharing proposal comes amid ongoing community debates. Aave token holders rejected a prior governance plan to grant the DAO full ownership of Aave’s brand assets, with 55% voting “no” and 41% abstaining. Concerns intensified after CoW Swap fees were directed to a private Aave Labs wallet rather than the DAO, prompting accusations of “stealth privatization.”

As of writing, according to CoinMarketCap, Aave price trades at $164.97 with a 24-hour trading volume of $306,042,256. The token is up 10.19% in the last 24 hours but down 14% in the past month.

Aave Labs’ revenue-sharing plan could change how token holders benefit from the protocol. Moving forward, clear governance, enforceable agreements, and open communication are necessary.

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