5. Governance

Nexus Chain is governed by a progressively decentralized, on-chain governance model designed to ensure that protocol evolution is community-driven, secure, and reputation-weighted.

The governance system is powered by a dual-layer model that combines NEX token voting rights with NFT-based reputation scoring, allowing both capital and contribution to influence decision-making. It controls everything from protocol upgrades and economic parameters to treasury allocation and ecosystem grants.


5.1 Governance Model

Nexus Chain follows a DAO-based on-chain governance architecture, implemented through smart contracts and enforced at the protocol level.

  • On-chain Proposals: Any qualified stakeholder (NFT Tier Silver or above, or token holder with sufficient stake) can submit proposals for network changes, economic policy adjustments, or community initiatives.

  • Community Voting: Proposals are voted on by token holders and NEX credentialed users.

  • Validator Endorsement: For protocol-level changes, validators must also confirm proposals for activation.

  • Multi-tier Framework: Voting power is derived from both NEX token holdings and NFT-based reputation multipliers, ensuring balanced influence.


5.2 Governance Flow

  1. Proposal Creation

    • Eligibility:

      • ≥10,000 NEX tokens staked, or

      • NFT Silver Tier or higher

    • Proposal types:

      • Protocol upgrade

      • Treasury allocation

      • New dApp grant approval

      • Parameter changes (e.g., staking rate, bridge fees)

  2. Community Review Period

    • Public review window: 5–7 days

    • Community discussion via forums, governance dApp, and AITOK governance stream

  3. Voting Period

    • Duration: 5–10 days

    • Minimum quorum: Defined as a percentage of circulating NEX + active NFT holders

  4. Validator Confirmation

    • Once passed, protocol-level changes must be endorsed by ≥⅔ of active validators

  5. Execution

    • Approved proposals are queued and executed via governance smart contracts


5.3 Treasury & Funding

Governance also controls the Nexus Treasury, which is funded through:

  • Network transaction fees (in NEX or NUSD)

  • RWA marketplace revenue (from Taobit)

  • Validator commission sharing

  • Treasury staking rewards

Treasury funds are used for:

  • Grants to dApp developers

  • Community events, education, and global outreach

  • Protocol R&D and core team growth

  • Strategic investments into ecosystem infrastructure

All spending is proposed, approved, and recorded on-chain.


5.4 Upgrade & Fork Management

All protocol upgrades follow a governance-first upgrade framework:

  • Soft Upgrades: Minor upgrades approved through standard proposals and validator endorsement

  • Hard Forks: Major changes (e.g., VM swap, consensus update) require:

    • ≥66% NEX + NFT vote approval

    • ≥80% validator consensus

    • ≥1 week advance notice via official channels

  • Emergency governance proposals can be fast-tracked in case of critical bugs or security risks


5.5 Governance Roadmap

Nexus Chain will follow a progressive decentralization path:

Phase
Control Model

Phase 1

Core team + selected validator council

Phase 2

On-chain DAO with proposal framework

Phase 3

NEX-weighted governance & full treasury control

Phase 4

Fully decentralized governance with open validator elections, public protocol ownership


Conclusion

Governance in Nexus Chain is not a checkbox — it’s a living system of checks and balances, designed to empower real contributors, protect protocol integrity, and guide the ecosystem’s evolution in alignment with the values of decentralization, transparency, and meritocracy.

By combining token-based voting and soul-bound reputation weighting, Nexus Chain delivers a new governance standard for Layer 1 ecosystems.

Last updated