Orbs launches community governance vote to establish its DAO framework

Orbs launches OIP-9, its first governance vote to establish the Orbs DAO and advance protocol decentralization.

Summary

• Orbs launches OIP-9 governance vote to establish its DAO and expand community control over protocol decisions.
• Orbs introduces its first DAO proposal, giving staked token holders a role in shaping protocol governance.
• OIP-9 marks Orbs' shift toward progressive decentralization with a new community-led governance framework.

Orbs has announced the launch of OIP-9 (Orbs Improvement Proposal 9), the project's first formal community governance vote to establish the Orbs DAO and introduce its governance framework. If approved by the community, the proposal will create the DAO's initial governance layer, giving eligible participants authority over defined areas of the protocol while laying the foundation for progressive decentralization.

The proposal marks the next stage in Orbs' governance evolution following more than seven years of protocol development and nearly four years of on-chain governance. During that time, the network has grown into a live Layer-3 infrastructure powering decentralized finance applications and execution products across multiple blockchain ecosystems. The governance proposal formalizes the role of the community in overseeing the protocol through a structured, phased approach that prioritizes both decentralization and operational security.

Ran Hammer, Vice President of Business Development at Orbs, said the proposal is designed to balance decentralization with the community's governance capabilities. According to Hammer, it establishes a governance framework with clearly defined authority from the outset while enabling the community to gradually assume greater responsibility over time. He added that the approach is intended to lay the groundwork for the next phase of the Orbs ecosystem.

Under OIP-9, governance participation will initially be open to holders of tokens staked in the Orbs Proof-of-Stake contract. The DAO will operate through community proposals and Snapshot voting, with approved decisions implemented through dedicated DAO-controlled multisig wallets. If approved, the DAO will initially oversee selected network parameters governing the Proof-of-Stake infrastructure, Guardian certification and revocation, approval of major protocol upgrades, and approval of new protocol deployments and network-level product modules. Together, these responsibilities are designed to give the community meaningful authority over the network while keeping the initial scope focused and manageable.

Rather than attempting to decentralize every aspect of the protocol at once, the proposal adopts a progressive governance model that expands community responsibility over time. Future governance proposals may address areas including protocol revenue, treasury management, liquidity strategies, grants, burn mechanisms, and broader tokenomics as the DAO develops operational experience and governance processes.

To help ensure network stability during the transition, the proposal also includes a limited emergency mechanism allowing the Orbs core team to respond when immediate action is required, and community voting is not feasible. Any use of these emergency powers would subsequently require ratification through DAO governance, preserving transparency and community oversight.

If approved, the proposal will also establish the governance foundation for the next phase of the Orbs roadmap, including the planned Season 1 tokenomics proposal. By first establishing the DAO's structure and authority, Orbs aims to enable future community decisions on protocol economics, network incentives, and ecosystem growth through an increasingly decentralized governance process.