Governance
Governance in Orbion is treated not as an afterthought, but as a critical layer of protocol integrity. Rather than relying on ad hoc off-chain coordination or rigid hard-coded rules, Orbion introduces a flexible governance model that balances upgradability, security, and community alignment.
Governance exists to answer one essential question:
How does a decentralized protocol evolve without betraying its core principles?
Core Governance Objectives
Orbion’s governance system is designed with three primary objectives in mind:
Minimize Trust Assumptions All decisions affecting protocol parameters, validator incentives, or systemic behavior must be transparent, verifiable, and executable on-chain.
Enable Safe Upgrades The protocol should allow for versioned upgrades, runtime improvements, and module swaps without requiring hard forks or centralized intervention.
Empower Stakeholders Validators, delegators, developers, and ecosystem participants must be able to influence protocol direction in proportion to their stake and contribution.
Governance Structure
Orbion's governance is on-chain, proposal-driven, and validator-secured. Key features include:
Proposal Submission Any address with sufficient ORB stake can submit a governance proposal, including configuration changes, system upgrades, or new module activations.
Voting Period Validators and delegators vote using stake-weighted ballots. Proposals require quorum and a predefined approval threshold to pass.
Time-Locked Execution Passed proposals are subject to a timelock before enactment, allowing the community to audit changes and prepare for transitions.
Module Governance Specific modules (e.g., staking, fee markets, slashing rules) can have isolated governance logic, enabling targeted upgrades without full protocol overhaul.
Philosophy of Control
Orbion does not assume that every chain should be governed the same way. Instead, it provides governance as a capability, not a mandate.
This means:
Governance can be minimal or active — depending on community values.
Governance rights are transparent, revocable, and scoped.
The protocol defends against governance capture through reputation-weighted protections and anti-censorship fail-safes.
Orbion believes that coordination should be enabled, not enforced. Governance should protect that principle not replace it.
Last updated