Governance

The Obol Collective is building a decentralized governance system rooted in the core values of Web3: transparency, openness, collaboration, and community-led decision making. At the same time, we recognize that decentralization is a journey, not a switch. Our aim is to progressively decentralize Obol governance in a way that is sustainable, resilient, and free of the common pitfalls that have emerged in the ecosystem.

Our Vision: Pragmatic Decentralization

We are here to stay. And we believe the only way to build a resilient and successful decentralized collective is to start by building a strong foundation. In recent months, many leading DAOs have experienced operational bottlenecks, inefficiency, and growing pains from decentralizing too fast, too early. The result? Several are now walking back toward more centralized structures to regain coordination capacity, accountability, and operational agility.

We’ve learned from these examples. Our approach is different: we are deliberately not rushing into maximal decentralization. Instead, we are laying the groundwork for progressive, sustainable decentralization over time.

At this stage of the Collective, execution matters. Proposals are already going through governance processes, but the Obol Association still holds executional authority to move quickly where needed. We see this as a temporary and necessary condition to keep building and shipping. This balance, transparent governance with accountable execution, is critical to avoid decision paralysis.

Governance at Obol is not about decentralization for its own sake. It is about enabling the best decisions for the long-term health of the network. As emphasized in the Bell Curve governance roundtable, decentralization without shared purpose or coordination leads to deadlock. We aim to build a governance model that supports rather than hinders progress.

Inspiration

We draw inspiration from both the successes and challenges of other DAOs. In particular:

• Arbitrum DAO, Introduced “Arbitrum Aligned Entities” to fix governance gridlock by assigning execution to focused teams, while keeping strategic control with the DAO. A response to over-decentralizing too quickly and losing operational clarity.

• Compound, Proposed the Compound Foundation to help the DAO coordinate services, manage treasury execution, and maintain continuity — moving from pure DAO toward a hybrid model with accountable support.

These initiatives reinforce our belief that progressive decentralization, aligned with clear domain ownership and accountable entities, leads to more sustainable governance.

Principles We Follow

• Decentralization is a means, not an end. Governance exists to serve the network, not to complicate it.

• Stakeholders should govern what they understand. Validators and technical contributors guide protocol upgrades; token holders lead incentive and treasury decisions.

• Social consensus is paramount. On-chain votes matter, but upgrades only succeed through real-world coordination and adoption.

• Structures must evolve with the protocol. Governance at genesis won’t look like governance at maturity. We are building toward that future in deliberate steps.

Governance Tools

To support transparent decision-making and empower active participation, here are key tools used across the Collective:

• Governance Forum – for proposal discussion and coordination
• Voting Portal – to delegate or vote on proposals
• Dune Dashboard – to track voting data and delegate participation
• Staking Portal – to stake OBOL and receive stOBOL
• 0xretro.xyz – to access key info and metrics about delegates

Governance Sections

The Obol governance documentation is organized into the following sections:

• Collective Overview – framing the governance bodies, roles, and progressive decentralization pathway

• The Token House – the token-holder-based decision-making layer of the Collective

• The RAF – information for delegates participating in the Retroactive Funding Program (RAF)

• Grants Program – the Obol funding mechanism for contributors and ecosystem support, led by the Obol Association

These sections evolve as the governance process matures. For any feedback, ideas, or questions, we invite you to join the discussion on the Forum or reach out via Discord.

Together, we are building governance for the long term.