Aave’s ambitious “Aave Will Win” framework, a proposal designed to restructure the protocol’s funding and operational model, has successfully passed its initial Temp Check vote. This marks the first formal step in the decentralized finance (DeFi) giant’s multi-stage governance process.
The off-chain Snapshot vote concluded on Sunday, revealing a deeply divided community. The results showed 52.58% in favor, 42% opposed, and 5.42% abstaining. This narrow margin of victory propels the measure to the next phase: the Aave Request for Final Comment (ARFC) stage. Here, the community can propose revisions to the framework before it potentially advances to a binding on-chain vote via an Aave Improvement Proposal (AIP).
At its core, the framework seeks tokenholder approval to allocate up to $42.5 million in stablecoins and 75,000 Aave (AAVE) tokens to Aave Labs, the primary development entity behind the protocol. In exchange, Aave Labs would commit to routing 100% of revenue from all Aave-branded products directly to the Aave DAO treasury. This proposes a shift to a DAO-funded operating model, fundamentally altering the financial relationship between the development team and the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).
Split Vote Highlights Deep-Rooted Governance Tensions
The close vote outcome underscores significant disagreement within the Aave ecosystem regarding its future direction. The debate has centered on several critical issues, including the scale of the requested funding, the wisdom of allocating governance tokens (which carry voting power), and the need for greater transparency.
Aave founder Stani Kulechov framed the Temp Check as a step toward a “fully token-centric model,” stating on X that structural improvements would be integrated during the ARFC phase based on community feedback. This signals an openness to negotiation but also highlights the contentious nature of the discussions.
Key criticisms emerged during the debate. Some tokenholders questioned the justification for such a large funding package and the specific inclusion of 75,000 AAVE tokens. Others advocated for clearer definitions of governance holdings and stricter disclosure standards to prevent potential conflicts of interest.
The tension was palpable in competing reports released just before the vote. On February 25, Marc Zeller, founder of the Aave Chan Initiative (ACI), published a transparency report scrutinizing Aave Labs’ historical funding. In response, Aave Labs released its own report detailing its contributions to building the protocol since 2017. These dueling narratives offered contrasting interpretations of past value creation and set the stage for the contentious vote.
What Comes Next? The ARFC and Potential On-Chain Vote
Under Aave’s established governance framework, proposals follow a clear path: Temp Check (informal sentiment) → ARFC (final comment and revision) → AIP (binding on-chain vote). Only an executed AIP is enforceable on the blockchain.
During the ARFC stage, which is now underway, the community will dissect the proposal. This is the final opportunity for delegates and tokenholders to suggest amendments, address concerns about token allocation, and refine the terms before an AIP is formally submitted.
Should the proposal survive this scrutiny and advance to an on-chain vote, tokenholders will decide on two major pillars: the formalization of the new DAO-funded operational model and the ratification of Aave V4 as the protocol’s long-term technical foundation. The outcome will have profound implications, potentially reshaping the ecosystem’s approach to development funding, revenue capture, and brand stewardship for years to come.
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