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Aave Chan Initiative (ACI) Announces Shutdown Following Governance Rift

The eight-person ACI team will not seek renewal of its contract and will wind down operations over the next four months.
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Mar 3, 2026 • 1 min read

Aave Chan Initiative (ACI) founder Marc Zeller just announced that his eight-person team will not seek renewal of its Aave DAO contract and will wind down operations over the next four months.

The statement comes following a successful temperature check vote on Aave Lab's controversial "Aave Will Win" framework, which passed this weekend with a narrow 52% margin of support.

What's the Scoop?

  • Leaving Aave: The Aave Chan Initiative – a long-standing governance group within Aave DAO – announced its shutdown to the Aave governance forum today in response to a dispute over transparency and voting power tied to Aave Labs's record funding request from its "Aave Will Win" proposal.
  • Second Departure: ACI's formal shutdown comes just eleven days after core Aave code contribution group BDG Labs announced it will cease all contributions beginning April 1 over similar centralization grievances.
  • Stani Responds: In a response posted to X, Aave Labs CEO Stani Kulechov thanked ACI for shaping incentive programs, contributing to the protocol's growth, and playing a role in the DAO’s evolution.
  • No Protocol Impact: Despite calamity within Aave governance processes, the core protocol itself remains functional; operations and incentive programs are expected to continue uninterrupted.

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