Curve Founder Proposes $6.6 Million Grant to Boost Ecosystem Development
Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov has submitted a proposal seeking approval for a 17.45 million CRV token grant, aimed at supporting the long-term growth and development of the Curve ecosystem.
Key Takeaways:
Michael Egorov has proposed a grant worth roughly $6.6 million at current market prices to fund Curve’s ecosystem expansion.
The grant would support Swiss Stake AG’s roadmap for 2026, including upgrades to the Curve lending product, Llamalend.
Despite generating some early revenue, Swiss Stake AG continues to rely on DAO funding to maintain operations.
If approved, the grant would be allocated to Swiss Stake AG, the core development team behind Curve.
Funding for Development and Security
The proposal, shared on the Curve DAO governance forum on Sunday, follows a similar grant approved in late 2024. Egorov explained that the funding would cover research, software development, infrastructure, and security for Curve’s lending protocol, while also helping retain the firm’s contributors.
“This grant will fund software research and development, infrastructure, security, and ecosystem support, ensuring that the 25-member team at Swiss Stake AG can continue its ongoing contributions to Curve,” Egorov wrote.
A Roadmap for 2026
Swiss Stake AG has outlined an ambitious plan for 2026. Key initiatives include:
Launching and scaling a new version of Curve’s lending platform, Llamalend.
Developing an on-chain foreign exchange swap system.
Improving the protocol’s user interface.
Continuing work on cross-chain integrations and governance tools.
Egorov emphasized that any intellectual property produced with the grant will be open source, aligning with Curve’s commitment to transparency and community-driven development.
Grant Use and Accountability
If approved, Swiss Stake AG would be allowed to stake a portion of the CRV tokens to generate additional yield, following the proposal’s guidelines. The firm has also committed to publishing biannual reports to show exactly how the funds are being used.
Pushing Toward Financial Independence
While Swiss Stake AG has developed revenue streams through Curve Lite deployments and fees earned via staking veCRV on platforms like Convex, StakeDAO, and Yearn, Egorov noted that these are not enough to fully sustain operations.
“All such revenues have been used strictly in line with the purposes outlined in the grant,” Egorov said, adding that community support remains essential at this stage.
DeFi Is Maturing, Says Vitalik Buterin
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently commented on the broader DeFi ecosystem, stating that on-chain savings and decentralized finance are no longer experimental. He believes DeFi is reaching a level where it can compete with traditional banking, thanks to improvements in security, usability, and reliability.
Buterin acknowledged past incidents like the Balancer hack but highlighted that today’s DeFi ecosystem is vastly more secure than in the early 2020s. He praised the implementation of mechanisms like the “walkaway test,” which allows users to independently recover their funds if needed.
