Aave Labs proposes Cayman foundation to hold Aave brand and IP for the DAO

Aave Labs wants to hand the keys to the Aave brand to someone else. Specifically, it wants them held by a new legal entity that answers to the Aave DAO, not to Aave Labs. On October 2, 2026, the development firm submitted a governance proposal titled “[ARFC] The Aave Foundation, Phase 1.” It asks the DAO to approve a memberless foundation in the Cayman Islands. That foundation would eventually hold legal title to the Aave trademark, primary domains, protocol codebase IP and other intellectual property, all for the benefit of the Aave Protocol. What Phase 1 actually does Phase 1 covers only two things: incorporating the foundation and appointing an independent director and a supervisor. No trademarks move. No domains change hands. The codebase IP stays exactly where it is for now. Each of those asset transfers would need its own separate governance vote later, through Aave Improvement Proposals, or AIPs. The current filing is an ARFC, short for Aave Request for Comments. Phase 1 funding is limited to incorporation, legal costs and the initial appointments. There is no recurring budget attached and no transfer of assets. The entity would be set up under the Cayman Islands Foundation ...