Curve Founder Proposes 17.45M CRV Funding Proposal: Strategic Move or Desperate Gambit?

Curve's founder just dropped a funding bomb: a proposal for 17.45 million CRV tokens. The DeFi giant is asking its community to back a massive capital injection, framing it as essential for the protocol's next evolution.

The Ask: A Nine-Figure Vote of Confidence

This isn't a minor treasury top-up. The sheer scale of the request—17.45 million tokens—signals a major strategic pivot. The proposal lands as the broader market watches for signs of strength or strain from major DeFi players. Is this a visionary war chest for expansion, or a lifeline disguised as a roadmap?

Reading Between the Token Lines

Founder-led proposals always carry extra weight. They telegraph internal priorities and perceived urgency. A ask of this magnitude bypasses incremental steps, aiming directly for a transformative capital base. The community's response will be a stark referendum on leadership's credibility and the protocol's immediate needs.

The Bottom Line: Growth Fuel or Just Burning Cash?

Every major funding round comes with a silent question: will this capital create value or simply dilute it? The proposal promises to fuel development and stability, but in crypto, big checks often precede big promises—and sometimes, big letdowns. After all, in traditional finance they call it 'raising capital'; in DeFi, we sometimes just call it printing more tickets to the show. The vote will reveal whether the community sees a path to dominance or just another line item on the roadmap to nowhere.

Achievements and past progress

During the 2024-2025 grant period, Swiss Stake AG made several important updates. They improved the crvUSD system to allow more flexible collateral and lending options. They also worked on cross-chain features to help Curve operate across multiple networks. Governance interfaces were updated for easier use, and a quarterly reporting system was set up to keep the community informed.

Throughout the first grant period, Swiss Stake AG has provided regular quarterly reports on progress and deliverables, ensuring transparency and accountability,’ the proposal notes. Work on Llamalend V2 is moving forward, and it’s expected to go public after security checks. All updates and tools remain open source, keeping in line with Curve DAO’s focus on decentralization.

Objectives for 2026

For 2026, the following strategic projects have been lined up by Swiss Stake AG in the space of Llamalend V2. Llamalend V2 will increase support for LP & PT collateral and will help in admin fee generation for DAO. The FXSwap project will help in making Curve a premier platform for on-chain FX and low-volatile assets, including real-world assets such as gold. Improving crvUSD lending systems with new risk models and collateral support will be another task.

Cross-chain deployment will improve integration with DAO and working across multiple chains. User interface enhancements will keep moving in a positive way for better usability and understandability. 

Moreover, Swiss Stake AG will work on developing ecosystem tools, researching on AMM, and modularizing current AMM designs in order to increase Curve’s flexibility in terms of technology. Security and Infrastructural support will continue being a major focus point.

Grant details and accountability

The requested grant of 17.45 million CRV is valued at approximately CHF 5.3 million and will be distributed over a 12-month period. Tokens will vest via a smart contract, and any unused funds will roll over.

Swiss Stake AG may stake grant tokens in liquid wrappers to generate additional yield, strictly for use by the project. This WOULD be made transparent via bi-annual and quarterly reports, with all resulting IP released under open-source licenses compatible with Curve repositories.

Curve taking feedback on proposal alternatives

One of the big names in DeFi, Martin Krung, posted a funding proposition on X. Instead of financing from the CRV treasury, he suggests allocating one-third of the protocol’s earned fees—excluding vote incentives—to the funding of these initiatives. This method could align better with making interests for Swiss Stake on boosting fee revenue while not issuing extra tokens.

Curve Finance pointed it out on X, emphasizing that this is a “sustainable alternative” for funding development. Its team emphasized that such an approach could be a solution for a long period of time when CRV in the Community Fund is fully utilized. Krung also mentioned a hybrid approach where multiple ways of financing are combined, but the team is taking community feedback.

As of writing, according to CoinMarketCap, Curve DAO Token was trading at $0.381973 with a 24-hour trading volume of $61,888,954, having gone down 2.24%.

Swiss Stake AG’s proposal aims to keep Curve’s development on track. Community support will help maintain improvements, cross-chain features, and key DeFi tools.

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