US EditionAave DAO Debates Where Frontend Fees Belong After CoWSwap Shift
Aave delegates question revenue flow after CoWSwap integration reroutes 15–25 basis points of swap fees away from the DAO treasury to external recipients.
- On December 15, 2025, Aave governance members flagged a dispute over control of app.aave.com after Aave Labs integrated CoWSwap earlier this month, with delegates alleging fees now route to Aave Labs, not the DAO treasury.
- Aave Labs says the interface is independently operated from the DAO protocol, with the DAO controlling protocol fees while Labs manages application features like swap routing and monetization.
- Forum posts and on-chain data show frontend fees of roughly 15 to 25 basis points accruing externally, with rerouting estimated at 45 to 50 ETH weekly, about $200,000 in lost revenue.
- Aave founder Stani Kulechov defended Labs' role, saying it funds and maintains the frontend and may monetize proprietary products, while Aave Labs pledged clearer separation of protocol economics from product decisions.
- As Aave prepares for V4, which introduces new risk-management mechanisms, Aave Labs emphasized that alternative frontends remain permissionless and the DAO can build or fund its own interface.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Key Points of the News The integration of CoWSwap into the Aave interface diverted swap rates from the DAO Treasury. Delegates and critics argue that front-end monetization should benefit the DAO. Aave Labs defends the separation between the protocol (controlled by the DAO) and the interface (managed by Labs). Who controls and who benefits financially from the protocol interface? It is the question that is discussed internally in Aave DAO in the…
Aave hits breaking point as DAO and Labs clash over control
A dispute over who “owns” Aave is raging within the DeFi community. The issue flared up on Friday, sparked by the realization that in-platform swaps now funnel revenue previously destined for the DAO treasury, to Aave Labs. Aave Labs Founder, Stani Kulechov, believes that, as owners of the “product” (the aave.com interface), Labs should be free to monetize it as it sees fit. Last month, Aave Labs announced a consumer-facing app with all crypto r…
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