Skip to main content

Governance (Future)

GO Swap will transition to full community governance through a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) powered by GO token holders.

Governance Overview​

GO token holders will have the power to shape the protocol's future through on-chain voting mechanisms.

What Can Be Governed?​

✅ Protocol Upgrades - Approve new features and improvements

✅ Fee Structures - Adjust trading fees and revenue distribution

✅ Treasury Allocation - Decide how ecosystem funds are spent

✅ Liquidity Incentives - Choose which pools receive GO rewards

✅ Parameter Changes - Modify protocol parameters and limits

✅ Emergency Actions - Vote on critical security measures

Governance Phases​

Phase 1: Foundation Control (Current)​

Status: Initial deployment and stabilization

Control: Core team multi-sig wallet

Duration: 6-12 months

Focus:

  • Ensure protocol stability
  • Address critical bugs
  • Gather community feedback
  • Prepare governance infrastructure

Phase 2: Limited Governance​

Status: Future

Control: Hybrid (team + community votes)

Duration: 6-12 months

Features:

  • Community proposals for minor changes
  • Advisory votes on major decisions
  • Gradual decentralization
  • Governance forum launch

Phase 3: Full DAO Governance​

Status: Future (target Q4 2026)

Control: Full community governance

Features:

  • On-chain proposal system
  • Timelock for approved proposals
  • Emergency veto for security
  • Complete decentralization

How Governance Will Work​

Proposal Process​

  1. Discussion - Community discusses idea in governance forum
  2. Temperature Check - Off-chain voting to gauge interest
  3. Formal Proposal - Submit on-chain proposal with details
  4. Voting Period - Token holders vote (typically 3-7 days)
  5. Timelock - Approved proposals wait 24-48 hours
  6. Execution - Proposal automatically executes on-chain

Voting Power​

Voting power is determined by:

  • GO Token Holdings - 1 token = 1 vote
  • LP Token Staking - Staked LP tokens may have voting power
  • Vote Delegation - Delegate your votes to others

Quorum Requirements​

For proposals to pass:

  • Minimum Participation: 10% of total supply must vote
  • Approval Threshold: 60% majority for standard proposals
  • Supermajority: 75% for critical changes (e.g., fee structure)

Proposal Types​

Standard Proposals​

  • New feature requests
  • Parameter adjustments
  • Marketing initiatives
  • Partnership approvals

Requirements:

  • 100,000 GO to propose
  • 10% quorum
  • 60% approval

Treasury Proposals​

  • Fund allocation requests
  • Grant programs
  • Development funding
  • Community initiatives

Requirements:

  • 250,000 GO to propose
  • 15% quorum
  • 65% approval

Critical Proposals​

  • Smart contract upgrades
  • Fee structure changes
  • Emergency actions
  • Protocol forks

Requirements:

  • 500,000 GO to propose
  • 20% quorum
  • 75% supermajority

Governance Token (GO)​

Obtaining Governance Rights​

To participate in governance, you need GO tokens:

  • Hold in wallet - Tokens in your wallet grant voting power
  • Stake in pools - LP tokens may count toward voting power
  • Governance staking - Dedicated staking for enhanced voting (future)

Vote Delegation​

Can't participate actively? Delegate your votes:

  • Choose a trusted delegate
  • Retain token ownership
  • Revoke delegation anytime
  • Delegates cannot access your tokens

Benefits:

  • Passive participation
  • Support experienced community members
  • Maintain governance influence

Governance Forum​

Platform: TBA (Discourse, Snapshot, or custom)

Purpose:

  • Discuss proposals before submission
  • Community sentiment polling
  • Governance discussions
  • Transparency and documentation

Treasury Management​

Treasury Allocations​

The GO Swap treasury will fund:

  • Development: Protocol improvements and new features
  • Security: Audits and bug bounties
  • Marketing: Community growth and awareness
  • Liquidity: Incentives for key trading pairs
  • Partnerships: Strategic collaborations
  • Operations: Infrastructure and team costs

Transparent Reporting​

All treasury transactions will be:

  • Publicly visible on-chain
  • Documented in governance portal
  • Reviewed by community
  • Subject to quarterly audits

Multi-Sig Protection​

Treasury controlled by multi-sig wallet:

  • Initially: 3 of 5 core team members
  • Transition: 5 of 9 (team + community delegates)
  • Final: Fully on-chain governance execution

Governance Participation Rewards​

Incentivize active governance participation:

  • Voting Rewards: Small GO rewards for consistent voters
  • Delegation Fees: Delegates may receive fees from delegators
  • Proposal Grants: Successful proposals may include implementation bounties
  • Governance Mining: Extra rewards for governance staking (future)

Emergency Governance​

In critical situations (e.g., security exploits):

Emergency Procedures​

  1. Multi-sig Emergency Pause - Immediate action if needed
  2. Emergency DAO Vote - Expedited 24-hour voting period
  3. Community Communication - Real-time updates
  4. Resolution Execution - Fast-tracked implementation
  5. Post-Mortem - Transparent incident report

Guardian Council (Future)​

A small elected council with emergency powers:

  • 5-7 elected community members
  • 1-year terms
  • Can trigger emergency pauses
  • Subject to DAO oversight
  • Elected by token holder vote

Governance Best Practices​

For Token Holders​

✅ Stay Informed - Read proposals carefully

✅ Participate Actively - Vote on proposals

✅ Engage in Discussion - Share your perspective

✅ Think Long-term - Consider protocol sustainability

✅ Delegate Wisely - Choose responsible delegates

For Proposal Authors​

✅ Engage First - Discuss before formal proposal

✅ Be Specific - Clear objectives and specifications

✅ Show Impact - Demonstrate benefits to protocol

✅ Budget Clearly - Transparent cost breakdowns

✅ Set Milestones - Measurable success criteria

Governance Roadmap​

Q2 2026​

  • Launch governance forum
  • Begin community discussions
  • Publish governance framework

Q3 2026​

  • Deploy governance contracts
  • Start advisory votes
  • Elect initial guardian council

Q4 2026​

  • Full DAO launch
  • First binding governance votes
  • Complete decentralization

2027+​

  • Cross-chain governance
  • Advanced voting mechanisms
  • Governance analytics dashboard
  • Continuous improvement based on community feedback

Resources​