# Voting Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Voting", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

Token Of Power Governance Exploit Drains $1.58 Million In WETH, TRM Says

Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs reports a governance exploit against the Token of Power protocol, resulting in a loss of approximately $1.58 million in WETH. The attacker exploited a missing timelock in the protocol's Aragon DAO setup, allowing them to propose, vote on, and execute a malicious action within a single block. The attacker funded the operation with 662 ETH from Tornado Cash, purchased enough TOP tokens to gain majority voting power, minted 10 billion new TOP tokens, and swapped them for WETH via a Balancer pool before moving funds back through Tornado Cash. The incident underscores that governance design is a critical security risk in DeFi, where parameters like timelocks provide essential reaction time. It also highlights how mixers and liquidity pools can be utilized in exploits without being directly compromised. Observers are now watching for any movement of the stolen funds and further remediation details from involved parties. This event is part of a broader shift in crypto, emphasizing the importance of underlying infrastructure, security, and governance alongside market movements.

bitcoinist06/14 21:32

Token Of Power Governance Exploit Drains $1.58 Million In WETH, TRM Says

bitcoinist06/14 21:32

Gnosis DAO Faces Massive Treasury Redemption Proposal, "Treasury Raiders" Return

A group of activist investors, often labeled as "treasury raiders," have submitted proposal GIP-150 to Gnosis DAO, calling for a one-time, voluntary, and proportional treasury redemption. The proposal would allow participating GNO holders to claim a share of the over $220 million in DAO reserves. Proponents argue this addresses the persistent and widening discount of GNO's market price relative to the treasury's net asset value. Despite recent DAO funding to Gnosis Ltd., the discount has increased. The current vote, closing May 12th, shows 65% opposition among early votes. The redemption would value each eligible token around $170, a ~30% premium to the current $131 market price. GNO held by Gnosis Ltd. is excluded. DeFi community reactions are mixed. Some commentators acknowledge the "risk-free value" (RFV) arbitrage logic but criticize the proposal as a short-term cash grab lacking legitimacy, as Gnosis never promised treasury backing for the token price. Others oppose it due to Gnosis's contributions to ecosystem infrastructure (Safe, CoW Swap, etc.). Founder Sebastian Bürgel lamented the targeting of respected builders. Aragon's team, previously targeted in similar RFV campaigns, called for better mechanisms to align incentives. This follows a pattern of 2023 RFV-style actions against projects like Rook and Aragon. Recently, Beefy Finance implemented a buyback to preempt such pressure. The proposal's author, Wismerhill, expressed past admiration for Gnosis but now sees this vote as a test of whether holders prioritize short-term arbitrage or long-term ecosystem value.

marsbit05/08 10:16

Gnosis DAO Faces Massive Treasury Redemption Proposal, "Treasury Raiders" Return

marsbit05/08 10:16

You Bet on the News, the Pros Read the Rules: The True Cognitive Gap in Losing Money on Polymarket

The article explains that the key to profiting on Polymarket, a prediction market platform, lies not just predicting real-world events correctly, but in meticulously understanding the specific rules that govern how each market will be resolved. It illustrates this with examples, such as a market on Venezuela's 2026 leader, where the official rules defining "officially holds" the office overruled the intuitive answer of who was in practical control. Other examples include debates over the definition of a "token" or what constitutes an "agreement." The core argument is that a "reality vs. rules" gap creates pricing discrepancies that savvy traders ("车头" or "whales") exploit. The platform has a formal dispute resolution process managed by UMA token holders to settle ambiguous outcomes. This process involves proposal submission, a challenge window, a discussion period, and a final vote. However, the article highlights a critical flaw in this system compared to a traditional court: the lack of separation between the arbiters (UMA voters) and the interested parties (traders with financial stakes in the outcome). This conflict of interest undermines the discussion phase, leads to herd mentality, and results in opaque final decisions without explanatory rulings. Consequently, the system lacks a body of precedent, making it difficult for users to learn from past disputes. The ultimate takeaway is that success on Polymarket requires a lawyer-like scrutiny of the rules to identify and capitalize on the cognitive gap between how events appear and how they are contractually defined for settlement.

marsbit04/21 03:08

You Bet on the News, the Pros Read the Rules: The True Cognitive Gap in Losing Money on Polymarket

marsbit04/21 03:08

Why Do You Always Lose Money on Polymarket? Because You're Betting on News, While the Pros Read the Rules

Why do you always lose money on Polymarket? Because you bet on news, while the pros study the rules. This article explains how top traders ("che tou") profit by meticulously analyzing market rules, not just predicting events. Polymarket, a prediction market platform, often sees disputes over event outcomes due to ambiguous rule wording. For instance, a market asking "Who will be the leader of Venezuela by the end of 2026?" was misinterpreted by many who bet on Delcy Rodríguez, assuming she held power. However, the rules specified "officially holds" as the formally appointed, sworn-in individual. Since Nicolás Maduro was still recognized as president officially, he won the market—even being in prison. To resolve such disputes, Polymarket uses a decentralized arbitration system via UMA protocol. The process involves: 1. Proposal: Anyone can propose a market outcome by staking 750 USDC, earning 5 USDC if unchallenged. 2. Dispute: A 2-hour window allows challenges with a 750 USDC stake; successful challengers earn 250 USDC. 3. Discussion: A 48-hour period on UMA Discord for evidence and debate. 4. Voting: UMA token holders vote in two 24-hour phases (blind then public). Outcomes require >65% consensus and 5M tokens voted; otherwise, four re-votes occur before Polymarket intervention. 5. Settlement: Results are final and automatic. Unlike traditional courts, Polymarket’s system lacks separation between arbitrators and stakeholders—voters often hold market positions, creating conflicts of interest. This leads to herd mentality in discussions and non-transparent outcomes without explanatory rulings, preventing precedent formation. Thus, success on Polymarket hinges on deep rule interpretation, not just event prediction, exploiting gaps between reality and contractual wording.

marsbit04/20 11:58

Why Do You Always Lose Money on Polymarket? Because You're Betting on News, While the Pros Read the Rules

marsbit04/20 11:58

Farewell to the Era of Founders, Neo Embarks on a True Restructuring

Neo, a public blockchain launched in 2014, is undergoing a major governance restructuring to resolve long-standing structural issues, including founder conflicts, opaque finances, and centralized control. A new proposal by co-founder Da Hongfei aims to fundamentally reform the Neo Foundation by decentralizing decision-making and asset control. Key reforms include establishing a unified on-chain and off-chain governance framework, introducing a staking-based voting mechanism with a 180-day lockup to discourage speculation, enabling fractional NEO tokens for broader participation, and redistributing a significant portion of the foundation’s assets—approximately 26 million NEO and 40 million GAS—back to the community through a "Giveback II" program. The foundation will relocate to the Cayman Islands under a new legal structure with a five-member board and an independent supervisor, explicitly barring founders from holding board seats for the first two years. This overhaul seeks to transition Neo’s governance from founder-dependent to community-driven, enhancing transparency, accountability, and long-term sustainability. If successful, it could set a precedent for other mature crypto projects facing similar governance challenges.

marsbit04/14 07:24

Farewell to the Era of Founders, Neo Embarks on a True Restructuring

marsbit04/14 07:24

"Legal" Ponzi Scheme? Uncovering Gemini Exchange and Its Founders' Circular Lending

A recent report scrutinizes Gemini's financial practices, revealing a circular lending scheme involving its founders, the Winklevoss twins. Through their private investment firm, Winklevoss Capital Fund (WCF), they loaned thousands of Bitcoin and Ethereum to Gemini. The exchange then used these assets as collateral to secure hundreds of millions in USD loans from third parties like Galaxy Digital and NYDIG to fund operations. During its September 2025 IPO, Gemini settled $695.6 million of its debt to WCF by converting it into super-voting Class B shares at a 20% discount ($22.40 per share) compared to the $28 price public investors paid. This secured the founders 94.7% of the voting control. As of the end of 2025, Gemini still owes WCF 4,619 BTC (approx. $400M), which can be recalled at any time, posing a significant liquidity risk. Despite this, Deloitte issued an unqualified audit opinion without highlighting these related-party transactions or associated risks. Since its IPO, Gemini's stock price has collapsed by 88% to $4.42, facing multiple analyst downgrades and a shareholder class action lawsuit for allegedly misleading investors about its strategic and financial condition.

marsbit04/06 01:25

"Legal" Ponzi Scheme? Uncovering Gemini Exchange and Its Founders' Circular Lending

marsbit04/06 01:25

Decentralization at risk as 100 wallets hold 80% of DeFi supply: Report

DeFi's decentralization is under threat as new data reveals extreme concentration of governance power. A report from the ECB shows the top 100 wallets control over 80% of the token supply across major protocols, while just 10-20 voters hold up to 96% of delegated voting power in some cases. With participation rates as low as 4-12%, decision-making is effectively controlled by a small group of entities, including founders, treasuries, and centralized exchanges. This makes regulators' jobs easier, as they can now identify clear control points, increasing DeFi's regulatory exposure under frameworks like MiCA. Consequently, markets are repricing DAO tokens, with a growing premium placed on protocols that demonstrate broader participation and transparency, while those with concentrated control face valuation pressures.

ambcrypto03/29 01:02

Decentralization at risk as 100 wallets hold 80% of DeFi supply: Report

ambcrypto03/29 01:02

Coinbase-Backed Stand With Crypto Discloses Political Plan For 2026 Midterm Elections

Coinbase-backed advocacy group Stand With Crypto has announced its first endorsements for the 2026 U.S. midterm elections and launched an online voter hub to mobilize pro-crypto voters. The group endorsed six incumbent lawmakers from both major parties and will focus on competitive House races where crypto issues may be decisive. The voter hub provides information on candidates' positions, including scorecards based on public statements and legislative records. With over 2.7 million advocates, the group aims to turn crypto supporters into a influential voting bloc. A survey revealed that 59% of crypto owners are swing voters, and 80% are highly motivated to vote. Nearly two-thirds would support candidates backing the crypto industry, and 74% favor those supporting clearer regulations.

bitcoinist03/27 10:52

Coinbase-Backed Stand With Crypto Discloses Political Plan For 2026 Midterm Elections

bitcoinist03/27 10:52

Charles Hoskinson Calls for Revote in Liqwid DAO Governance Dispute

Charles Hoskinson has called for a revote in a governance dispute within the Liqwid DAO, a decentralized finance protocol on the Cardano network, concerning the allocation of NIGHT tokens. He raised concerns about the fairness and transparency of the initial voting process, emphasizing that decentralized governance must be accountable and free from conflicts of interest. Hoskinson suggested that excluding insiders from the revote could help restore community trust. The situation highlights broader challenges in DAO governance, including the need for transparent processes and community involvement in decision-making. The outcome of the proposed revote is being closely watched by the blockchain community.

TheNewsCrypto03/16 13:47

Charles Hoskinson Calls for Revote in Liqwid DAO Governance Dispute

TheNewsCrypto03/16 13:47

World Liberty Financial Offers ‘Guaranteed Direct Access’ For $5M Token Lockup

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a DeFi venture linked to the Trump family, has introduced a new "Super Node" program requiring investors to lock $5 million worth of tokens for six months. In return, participants receive "guaranteed direct access" to certain WLFI team members and gain voting rights in governance matters. Although Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Barron Trump are listed as part of the supporting team, they will not be included in the direct access offering. The proposal passed with 99% approval from 1,786 votes. Super Nodes must stake 50 million WLFI tokens and will earn a 2% yield in tokens for participating in at least two votes. This move shifts from earlier promises of democratized access by restricting voting rights to large stakeholders. Separately, Trump will host another exclusive dinner for TRUMP memecoin holders. WLFI’s token price rose nearly 6% to $0.1079 amid a broader crypto market recovery.

bitcoinist03/14 11:32

World Liberty Financial Offers ‘Guaranteed Direct Access’ For $5M Token Lockup