Aave Token Tumbles 11% as Governance Feud Over Brand Control Erupts

Aave’s native token (AAVE) plunged 11% in the past 24 hours as a contentious governance debate over who controls the decentralized lending platform's brand and online assets moved to a vote.

The flashpoint is a governance proposal from Ernesto Boado, co-founder of development group BGD Labs. He argues that AAVE token holders, operating as the Aave DAO, should have formal ownership of key brand assets including the aave.com domain, social media handles, and other access points currently managed by third parties.

According to Boado, leaving these assets in any single entity's hands creates a "structural imbalance." He stated that even a well-intentioned contributor could unilaterally steer narratives and product distribution in ways the DAO cannot meaningfully check.

The debate quickly escalated into a procedural drama when Aave founder Stani Kulechov advanced the proposal to a Snapshot vote. Boado objected, claiming the proposal was rushed to a vote without his notification, breaking trust and cutting short a productive community discussion.

Kulechov responded on X (formerly Twitter), defending the process as compliant with Aave's established governance framework. He said the proposal had been discussed for roughly five days, which he described as a typical window before a vote.