What is DAO?
Last reviewed 2026-05-03
Used by: Lido, Kelp DAO, Curve Finance, Kelp Dao, Arbitrum DAO
Entity coverage: 19 protocols, 0 tokens, 0 chains reference this concept.
A DAO is an organization whose rules and treasury are encoded in smart contracts and governed by token holders. Major DAOs: Uniswap, Aave, MakerDAO/Sky, Arbitrum, Optimism, ENS, Lido. Tools: Snapshot (off-chain voting), Tally, Aragon, Safe.
How it works
A DAO is an organization whose rules and treasury are encoded in smart contracts and governed by token holders. Major DAOs: Uniswap, Aave, MakerDAO/Sky, Arbitrum, Optimism, ENS, Lido. Tools: Snapshot (off-chain voting), Tally, Aragon, Safe.
For deeper protocol-level mechanics, see the related glossary terms below or the linked DeFi Intel topic deep-dive.
Why it matters
DAOs let token holders coordinate billion-dollar treasuries and parameter decisions without a corporate hierarchy. They are the experimental form of digital-native organizations.
Real-world examples
Uniswap, Aave, MakerDAO/Sky, Optimism Collective, Arbitrum DAO, ENS DAO, Lido DAO, Compound, Gitcoin.
Related terms
Go deeper
Read the full DeFi Intel topic deep-dive or browse the complete crypto glossary.
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