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What is GnosisDAO?

GnosisDAO is the on-chain governance layer at the centre of the Gnosis ecosystem. It is the mechanism through which GNO holders allocate the treasury and set high-level ecosystem priorities via the GIP process.

It is not an operating entity. It does not manage the products built within the ecosystem, and it does not speak on behalf of spinout organisations. Day-to-day operations within the Gnosis ecosystem are delegated to service providers under mandates approved by the DAO.

Strategic direction is shaped collaboratively. The community, founders, and operational entities such as Gnosis Ltd propose strategy, and GnosisDAO ratifies, refines, or rejects it through GIPs.

The Gnosis Ecosystem​

GnosisDAO sits within a broader ecosystem of aligned but independent entities. Understanding this structure is essential to understanding what GnosisDAO does and does not govern.

Ecosystem Entities​

Gnosis VC

The investment arm of the Gnosis ecosystem, deploying capital into aligned external projects. The current portfolio includes HOPR, Fileverse, Aztec, Centrifuge, Backed, Monerium and over 50 additional investments. Gnosis VC operates with strategic alignment to GnosisDAO, but investment decisions are not subject to GIP votes.

Gnosis Ltd

The principal product incubation arm, building and maintaining in-house ventures alongside related ecosystem entities (see "Formal Legal Entities" below for the full structure):

  • Gnosis Chain & EEZ, Gnosis chain is an EVM-compatible Layer 1 with 5-second block times, near-zero fees, and 144,000+ active validators. Gnosis Ltd is a founding member of the Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ) Framework, a coordinated effort to align L1s and L2s around shared standards, liquidity, and credibly neutral infrastructure.
  • Gnosis App, a mobile-first self-custodial wallet that has integrated with licensed service providers to offer EUR IBAN, free Visa debit card (with up to 5% cashback), and built-in access to decentralised exchange protocols designed for both technical and non-technical users.
  • Circles, a social money protocol where every account mints 1 CRC per hour and trust-based connections make personal tokens transferable. Integrated into Gnosis App as a lead feature, bringing decentralised personal currency into a consumer-grade wallet experience.
  • Gnosis Pay, white-label card-as-a-service for launching self-custodial stablecoin Visa programmes in collaboration with licensed card issuers. Safe Smart Accounts, built-in compliance, multi-chain support.

Gnosis VPN

A decentralised VPN on the HOPR mixnet. Entry nodes know who, not where; exit nodes know where, not who. Revenue flows directly to node operators.

NOCA

The treasury manager for GnosisDAO since February 2026 under GIP-148, succeeding KPK who held the mandate from 2021 under GIP-20. NOCA actively manages positions across DeFi protocols to generate yield while maintaining liquidity and managing risk.

Spinout Organisations​

The following organisations originated within Gnosis and were spun out as independent entities. They retain strategic alignment through GNO token holdings but operate independently of GnosisDAO governance:

  • Safe, the industry-standard self-custody smart account and multisig infrastructure, processing over $600B in annual volume. Spun out via GIP-29 (2022). GnosisDAO retains 15% of SAFE token supply.
  • CoW Protocol, an MEV-protected DEX on Ethereum, spun out via GIP-13 (2022) following a $23M raise. GnosisDAO retains 10% of COW token supply.
  • KPK, a decentralised treasury management organisation, spun out via GIP-92 (2024). GnosisDAO retains 7.5% ownership.
  • Gnosis Guild, governance tooling and Zodiac infrastructure, operating independently with strategic ecosystem alignment.

Within the ecosystem, there are several formal entities:

  • Gnosis Ltd, in December 2024, Gnosis Ltd became a company limited by guarantee without any share capital, focusing on research, development, and support for decentralised, permissionless technologies and the furtherance of the Gnosis ecosystem. It contributes to Gnosis Chain, incubates ecosystem teams, and handles marketing, community, and governance support. The DAO funds Gnosis Ltd, most recently under GIP-128 where a $30M/year budget was approved for the year.

  • Gnosis Ecosystem Limited, the holding entity for several operating and IP-holding companies that sit alongside Gnosis Ltd within the in-house product structure. Its subsidiaries are:

The DAO specifically controls:

  • GnosisDAO Operational Foundation (Foundation 1), serves as a legal conduit for the DAO, facilitating operational matters that require an incorporated legal entity for off-chain interactions. Day-to-day treasury operations and active management are performed by NOCA.
  • GnosisDAO Asset Holding Foundation (Foundation 2), the dedicated legal entity used for Gnosis VC activities.

The Role of GNO Holders​

GNO token holders participate in the governance of GnosisDAO and the broader Gnosis ecosystem.

Governance rights

Under the GnosisDAO Participation Agreement, passed in GIP-10, GNO holders have:

  • The right to vote on Gnosis Improvement Proposals (GIPs), including treasury allocations, funding decisions, strategic mandates, and ecosystem priorities.
  • The right to submit proposals, participate in forum debate, and shape the direction of GnosisDAO through deliberation.
  • Voting weight is proportional to the amount of GNO held in, or delegated to, a given address.

Protocol role of GNO

  • GNO is the staking token for Gnosis Chain validators.
  • Thanks to EIP-1559, implemented in 2021, Base fees paid for transactions on Gnosis Chain are used to burn GNO. This functions as a protocol fee sink that reduces circulating supply over time; it is a property of the protocol's fee mechanism, not a distribution to holders.
  • GIP-116 (2025) authorised the burn of 3.15M GNO from the vesting contract, in line with the governance-mandated target total supply of 3,000,000 GNO under GIP-35.

What GNO does not confer

  • GNO is not equity in Gnosis Ltd, in any spinout organisation, or in any other legal entity within the ecosystem. GnosisDAO is not itself a company or legal person.
  • GNO does not entitle holders to dividends, profit distributions, or any direct claim on treasury assets. Treasury deployments are decided collectively through GIPs and are not distributed to holders pro rata.
  • GNO does not confer authority over the day-to-day operations of Gnosis Ltd, spinout organisations, or Gnosis Chain validators.
  • Nothing in GNO holdership constitutes a contractual right to economic returns, a security interest, or a guarantee of any future outcome.

GNO is best understood as a governance token: it grants a voice in how the ecosystem evolves, not a claim on its economics.

What GnosisDAO Governs​

GnosisDAO's governance remit covers the following areas:

Management of the Gnosis treasury, all material allocations of ETH, GNO, and other treasury assets require a passed GIP.

Notable examples:

  • GIP-116, Treasury Operations & 3.15M GNO Burn, The single most significant treasury GIP of 2025. Included the burning of 3.15M GNO tokens from the vesting contract, fulfilling a mandate established under GIP-35, which committed to a total supply of just 3M GNO.
  • GIP-118, Replace sDAI with sUSDS in Bridge, Capitalised on Sky's (formerly MakerDAO) Sky Savings Rate by upgrading the bridge to swap sDAI holdings to sUSDS and adding USDS deposit support.

Funding allocations, grants, service agreements, project funding, and strategic investments via the GIP process.

Notable examples:

  • GIP-128, Fund Gnosis Ltd, The largest single funding allocation in GnosisDAO's history, approving a $30M/year budget disbursed quarterly in stablecoins to fund Gnosis Ltd. Gnosis Ltd will deliver detailed quarterly reports to GnosisDAO starting July 1, 2025.
  • GIP-122, Support Gnosis VPN Development, Approved $4.8M to fund continued Gnosis VPN development by HOPR, paid in four equal installments of $1.2M with subsequent payments contingent on user milestones. GnosisDAO receives HOPR tokens at a 30% discount to the 90-day TWAP at each installment.

Strategic deployment of GNO, staking parameters, reward structures, grant programmes, and spinout token allocations.

Notable examples:

Gnosis Chain infrastructure funding, through grants and partnerships that support chain development, maintenance, and security.

Notable examples:

Ecosystem strategy, the DAO's mandate and focus areas, as defined and updated through governance.

Notable examples:

What GnosisDAO Does Not Control​

GnosisDAO governs the Gnosis treasury and can set high-level priorities and funding signals for the broader Gnosis ecosystem through the GIP process, primarily via treasury and mandate decisions. It does not hold direct authority over the following:

  • Day-to-day product decisions at Gnosis Pay, Gnosis App, or other in-house ventures. Those decisions sit with the teams building them.
  • Spinout organisations. Spinout organisations such as Safe, CoW DAO, Gnosis Guild and kpk operate independently of GnosisDAO. GnosisDAO holds token allocations in these projects but has no role in their operations.
  • Gnosis Chain's validator set or client software. Chain-level technical decisions — including hard forks, client upgrades, and protocol parameters — are made by the validator set, not by GnosisDAO. Validators stake GNO to run Gnosis Chain, but GIPs cannot bind validator behaviour. The DAO's influence on the chain operates through funding, ecosystem coordination, and signalling, not direct technical control. This distinction became visible during recent chain-level events and is worth stating plainly: GnosisDAO does not run Gnosis Chain.
  • Gnosis VC investment decisions. Gnosis VC operates with strategic alignment to the DAO as per GIP-102 but investment decisions are not subject to GIP votes.

The correct framing: GnosisDAO is the capital allocator and strategic steward. It funds, it signals priorities, it holds teams accountable through reporting and renewal. It does not manage day-to-day operations and does not govern Gnosis Chain at the protocol level.

Get involved in GnosisDAO governance:

Last updated: May 2026