Concentration in Governance Control Across Decentralised Finance Protocols

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Eisermann, Thomas, Campajola, Carlo, Tessone, Claudio J., Teixeira, Andreia Sofia
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Eisermann, Thomas
Campajola, Carlo
Tessone, Claudio J.
Teixeira, Andreia Sofia
author_facet Eisermann, Thomas
Campajola, Carlo
Tessone, Claudio J.
Teixeira, Andreia Sofia
contents Blockchain-based systems are frequently governed through tokens that grant their holders voting rights over core protocol functions and funds. The centralisation occurring in Decentralised Finance (DeFi) protocols' token-based voting systems is typically analysed by examining token holdings' distribution across addresses. In this paper, we expand this perspective by exploring shared token holdings of addresses across multiple DeFi protocols. We construct a Statistically Validated Network (SVN) based on shared governance token holdings among addresses. Using the links within the SVN, we identify influential addresses that shape these connections and we conduct a post-hoc analysis to examine their characteristics and behaviour. Our findings reveal persistent influential links over time, predominantly involving addresses associated with institutional investors who maintain significant token supplies across the sampled protocols. Finally, we observe that token holding patterns and concentrations tend to shift in response to speculative market cycles.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_13377
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Concentration in Governance Control Across Decentralised Finance Protocols
Eisermann, Thomas
Campajola, Carlo
Tessone, Claudio J.
Teixeira, Andreia Sofia
Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
J.4; G.2.2; C.2.4
Blockchain-based systems are frequently governed through tokens that grant their holders voting rights over core protocol functions and funds. The centralisation occurring in Decentralised Finance (DeFi) protocols' token-based voting systems is typically analysed by examining token holdings' distribution across addresses. In this paper, we expand this perspective by exploring shared token holdings of addresses across multiple DeFi protocols. We construct a Statistically Validated Network (SVN) based on shared governance token holdings among addresses. Using the links within the SVN, we identify influential addresses that shape these connections and we conduct a post-hoc analysis to examine their characteristics and behaviour. Our findings reveal persistent influential links over time, predominantly involving addresses associated with institutional investors who maintain significant token supplies across the sampled protocols. Finally, we observe that token holding patterns and concentrations tend to shift in response to speculative market cycles.
title Concentration in Governance Control Across Decentralised Finance Protocols
topic Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
J.4; G.2.2; C.2.4
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.13377