Governance
Last updated
Last updated
Symmio is a trustless on-chain clearing house for derivatives, enabling "Asset Abstraction" without requiring physical assets, thus allowing the creation of broad derivatives.
Derivatives as a Service (DaaS) simplifies the launch of derivatives platforms for developers and exchanges, with Symmio managing the backend complexity.
$SYMM token enables governance, giving holders the power to influence protocol decisions, upgrades, and expansions through the Symmio DAO.
Governance in Symmio is decentralized, moving away from traditional board-led decisions to community-driven smart contract-based choices, promoting transparency and trustlessness.
Benefits include solving liquidity fragmentation, trustless settlement, and complex market structures, aiming for broader adoption of derivatives in DeFi and TradFi.
Participation in governance can be through voting, delegating votes, or becoming a delegate, engaging in community discussions to shape Symmio’s future.
Symmio involves various stakeholders like traders, liquidity providers, and developers, all benefiting from a more efficient on-chain financial system.
Symmio is a trustless on-chain clearing house that acts as a universal settlement and clearing layer for permissionless derivatives. Its protocols enable “Asset Abstraction” for the first time in DeFi, empowering anyone to create and trade a vast array of derivatives—options, futures, exotic products—without needing to hold underlying physical assets.
With Symmio’s intent-centric “Derivatives as a Service” (DaaS) approach, developers and exchanges can quickly roll out derivatives trading platforms without extensive technical overhead or separate liquidity onboarding. Symmio’s partners and modular architecture handle everything behind the scenes. Several third parties already run their own on-chain exchanges using Symmio’s infrastructure across multiple blockchains, generating significant volume and revenue, much of which will flow back to the Symmio DAO and $SYMM token stakers over time.
The distribution of the $SYMM governance token will decentralize governance of Symmio’s protocols, clearing infrastructure, and ecosystem, empowering the Symmio DAO to shape the future of on-chain derivatives. By holding or delegating $SYMM tokens, you can propose and vote on governance decisions that guide Symmio’s technology and community growth.
With this Symmio enables a new paradigm for derivatives: a trustless, modular clearing layer that allows anyone to build and trade sophisticated financial instruments on-chain.
Symmio solves critical issues in DeFi and TradFi: liquidity fragmentation, lack of trustless settlement, and complex market structure. By unifying these elements, Symmio paves the way for mass adoption—by retail, institutional players, and beyond—making sophisticated derivatives markets accessible, efficient, and secure.
Governance is how decisions get made. In traditional (web2) finance, decisions are made by a small board of directors and shareholders must trust them. In web3, and especially in Symmio’s ecosystem, governance is progressively decentralized, giving decision-making power to the community of token holders rather than a centralized authority.
Traditional web2 governance:
Usually controlled by a board of directors.
Decision-making is often opaque.
Shareholders rely on a board’s goodwill and legal frameworks for accountability.
Web3 governance (like Symmio’s):
Symmio starts off built by a small team but progressively decentralizes control as the protocol matures.
Decisions will be codified in smart contracts and enforced trustlessly.
Token holders ($SYMM) govern Symmio’s underlying protocols and expansions by voting on proposals that directly affect the protocol’s operations and future direction.
Three key ingredients of Symmio’s governance model:
DAO formation: The Symmio DAO is a decentralized autonomous organization that holds decision-making authority over Symmio’s clearing infrastructure and supported markets. The DAO operates under a set of rules (similar to a “Constitution”) that define how proposals are made, debated, and executed.
Governance token launch ($SYMM): The $SYMM token grants membership in the DAO. Token holders can vote on proposals that shape Symmio’s future.
Code: Smart contracts will implement the DAO’s governance rules, creating a transparent, trustless framework where changes must be approved by the DAO.
They’re both tokens, but with different purposes:
How $ETH and $SYMM are similar:
Both run on decentralized blockchain technology.
Both can be held in compatible wallets and traded.
How $ETH and $SYMM are different:
$ETH is a transactional token (used to pay for gas and transaction fees).
$SYMM is a governance / utility token (used to vote on proposals and influence Symmio’s direction).
Holding $SYMM grants you governance rights in the Symmio ecosystem, while holding $ETH does not give you governance rights in Ethereum’s protocol.
Staking Symm gives you fees of the clearing platform, similar to how ETH can be staked to earn fees from validating transactions.
Locking Symm reduces the settlement costs, ideal for builders that want to build an exchange on top of Symmio.
Burning Symm reduces fees, ideal for traders who want to lower their trading fees.
Why is this important?
The decentralization of Symmio’s governance is critical for the future of DeFi’s derivative markets. Instead of trusting a small team, token holders collectively guide the protocol. This community-driven model encourages innovation, responsiveness to user needs, and long-term sustainability.
Holding $SYMM tokens will give you a stake in Symmio’s success. As a $SYMM holder, you can influence how Symmio evolves—what new derivatives are supported, how liquidity is sourced, how fees are structured, and more. By participating in governance, you help shape DeFi’s next frontier of derivatives, bringing cutting-edge finance on-chain.
Cool beans. Is there an airdrop?
Yes. Symmio Points
Symmio’s governance has two main components:
Symmio DAO:
The global community of $SYMM token holders and their delegates.
Responsible for guiding Symmio’s clearing layer, supported protocols, and future expansions.
Can propose upgrades, introduce new products (like novel derivatives markets), adjust fee structures, and shape risk management policies.
Security & Risk Framework: While Symmio’s approach is inherently modular and isolated for risk management, the DAO can refine these systems over time. The DAO can also authorize the creation of new chains or additional product lines, ensuring governance keeps pace with innovation.
Over time, as Symmio grows into a more complex ecosystem, the DAO will oversee upgrades to the core protocols, ensuring efficient and secure settlement for all derivatives. This might include introducing new liquidity partnerships, integrating advanced market-making strategies, or unlocking novel financial products.
Examples include:
Upgrading core clearing contracts or underlying smart contracts for improved efficiency or security.
Approving or adjusting which derivatives markets are supported, and what parameters (like collateral types, leverage limits) are applied.
Authorizing and configuring new integrations with liquidity providers, oracles, or other protocols.
Launching new products—like options, structured products, or prediction markets—and setting fee parameters that reward liquidity providers and $SYMM stakers.
In other words, the Symmio DAO’s scope covers anything that affects the long-term stability, security, functionality, and growth of the Symmio ecosystem.
Symmio involves a variety of stakeholders, all aligned to create a more fluid and efficient global financial system on-chain:
Web3 user layer: Traders and users of derivatives (perpetuals, options, etc.) on partner DEXs or front-ends integrated with Symmio.
Integration partners (protocols/exchanges): Builders and entrepreneurs launching their own derivatives markets and using Symmio’s infrastructure.
Liquidity providers (MMs) & Solvers: Market makers who plug into Symmio to source and hedge liquidity efficiently, bridging CEX liquidity with DeFi custody.
Oracles and clearing operators: Entities providing real-time price feeds, settlement calculations, and reliable risk management layers.
Traders and investors: Those who rely on Symmio’s infrastructure to get best-in-class liquidity and trading conditions.
Research & Development layer: Innovators crafting new derivative products, improving efficiency, and designing advanced market mechanisms.
All of these participants have a stake in Symmio’s success, and governance ensures they can coordinate, innovate, and prosper together.
You have multiple options:
Delegate your voting power: If you don’t have time for daily governance but want your voice represented, delegate your votes to a trusted individual or group (a “delegate”) who aligns with your values.
Self-delegate and vote directly: Perfect if you’re interested in actively shaping Symmio’s direction and have the time to stay informed about proposals.
Become a delegate: Represent other token holders’ interests, help them navigate governance, and ensure that thoughtful proposals get passed. This requires time, expertise, and ongoing engagement.
You can also join discussions on the Symmio DAO governance forum, Discord, and other community channels. The community’s collective intelligence will guide Symmio’s evolution.
This introduction is just the beginning. Dive deeper into the following resources:
Symmio Developer Docs & Governance Forum: Learn about Symmio’s architecture, parameters, and how to propose changes.
Symmio Explainer Threads and Articles: Understand the modular approach, risk isolation, and how Symmio stacks up against other derivatives solutions.
Welcome to the future of governance!
By participating in Symmio’s governance, you stand at the frontier of DeFi derivatives innovation. Together, $SYMM holders guide a groundbreaking ecosystem that’s setting the standard for efficient, trustworthy, and infinitely extensible on-chain financial infrastructure.
