GOVERN DOT! - Newsletter Edition 91

In this week’s edition:

1. Editorial: Govern vibes, the latest in governing Polkadot, and recapping lingo content.
2. Top Story - DOT is DAO: unlike other ecosystems, governance is not an afterthought. Let’s get into how the world’s largest DAO is getting things done.
3. Featured Report - Open for DOT Lingo: as a treasury-funded initiative, WagMedia is open to cultivating content in other languages.
4. Wag Roundup: News from our Finders Program between March 13th and March 19th.
5. Extras: Credits and anything else.

Editorial

What is up, my friends!

Despite bearish readings, the pro-crypto government in the land of the free remains optimistic. We’ve seen symbolic moves like a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the end of Operation Choke Point 2.0, and executive pitches to government officials. Building on this momentum, we witnessed the passing of the Genius Act this past week, which paves the way for stablecoin regulations.

Moving on to governance within Web3, the week saw some major CROntroversyand also SOL general lack of understanding. Sure, things can get wild and hyper in vaultedpermissionless systems, but isn’t this the essence of Web3? Like, aside from the cringe, does it make sense for a decentralized protocol to endorse a permissioned centralized government?

This brings us on to the top story of the week, where we’ll be taking a closer look at the latest governing in the world's largest DAO. While things have occasionally been wild, governance certainly isn’t an afterthought.

For our featured report, we’ll be turning our attention to non-Anglo content. Amid some recent funding struggles for foreign language content initiatives, WagMedia continues to be a viable option.

Dodow, Chief Editor

Top Story of the Week - DOT is DAO

Written by yay.oi

What’s passin’, voters? Nothing on Solana, by the looks of it. It certainly is enlightening observing primal attempts at governance from the high horse of the world’s largest DAO. It seems even our cringe game is less deletable.

Now we have a founder baffled by the concept of on-chain governance enacting protocol upgrades, and a key opinion leader obliged to jump ship. Solana’s failed proposal to adjust inflation parameters has highlighted a glaring fault in its governance model.

While successful in its own inflation adjustment referendum, and with thousands of referenda under its belt, those in the Polkadot DAO know that on-chain governance does not come easily. It can, and needs to, evolve over time in response to its stakeholders’ wishes.

In Polkadot governance this week, the Hyperbridge x Bifrost proposal, requesting almost $3.5M to incentivize multi-chain DOT and vDOT liquidity, was approved by a landslide, with almost 100% approval. It’s the Polkadot DAO’s biggest spend yet for 2025, but a bold new plan spearheaded by Tommi Enenkel (Alice und Bob) could see some even bigger spending on the horizon.

After meeting with over 100 ecosystem agents in Hong Kong and Denver this year, Tommi has formulated a shared strategy for the growth of Polkadot. The vision Make Web3 a reality, the mission Make Polkadot the best place to build Web3!

The plan aims to attract more developers to the ecosystem by ensuring that building on Polkadot is easy, powerful, fast, and fun. Tommi has formulated six programs to drive growth and execute this vision, each would have its own program manager and budget.

In the flagship Builders program, the self-service mindset of tinkerers will be empowered through documentation, tooling, communities, and access to Chaotic Kusama. In contrast, enterprise builders, with their more complex needs, will receive direct support through BD, Success, and DevRel managers.

A program to broaden mindshare seeks to spread the message that Polkadot is the best place to build Web3 to all relevant target groups. Under the guidance of the project manager, owners (including our very own Gavin Wood) will be assigned to the defined target groups and will implement and fine-tune the targeted strategies.

In collaboration with the Mindshare program, the Relationships program aims to strengthen chain bonds across the broader Substrate and Web3 ecosystems. High potential opportunities will be identified with the aim of facilitating integration, migration, bridging, and multi-chain building.

The Success program will support our champions in major verticals, such as Hydration in DeFi and Mythical in gaming, to ensure that they succeed in becoming best-in-class examples in their industries. Additionally, a budget of 5M DOT is proposed for strategic investments in new projects.

An even bigger budget of 10M DOT is earmarked for the Economy program which aims to boost ecosystem trading volume and TVLs. This budget would be strategically allocated between Polkadot-owned liquidity and continued liquidity incentives, with a particular focus on vDOT and Hydration’s soon-to-be-launched HOLLAR and gigaDOT.

If the outcome of the Hyperbridge x Bifrost Defi Singularity proposal is anything to go by, this kind of targeted big spending may receive a lot more support than the recently rejected sponsorship proposals. It certainly matches the ideals of one of the biggest critics of Conor Daly’s bid.

While Tommi’s vision continues to take shape, there are plenty of teams out there right now getting things done. Recent developments in the institutional sector include the launch of enterprise-grade Polkadot analytics on Artemis, supported by Parity and funded through OpenGov.

In addition, this week Velocity Labs partnered with Copper to expand its crypto-asset custody offerings to include Polkadot Asset Hub and parachain tokens. With the increased interest that a DOT ETF approval could bring, we can rest assured that Copper is capable of handling the needs of institutional clients of the highest calibre.

Since its launch in March 2024, Velocity Labs, funded by the DeFi Infrastructure & Tooling Bounty and a Web3 Foundation Decentralized Futures grant, has endeavoured to improve user onboarding and capital accessibility. It has facilitated many of the major CEX integrations instrumental in Polkadot reaching an ATH for stablecoins this month.

Meanwhile, for our DeFi vertical champions, the assistance of the Polkadot treasury has played a supporting role in helping them achieve their ATHs. For Hydration and Stellaswap, treasury-funded incentive campaigns have helped them reach new heights.

As for Bifrost, liquidity loans (always repaid with interest) have maintained the stability of vDOT and vKSM swaps, ensuring that vTokens remain an integral part of the DeFi ecosystem. Time will tell how treasury-funded incentives play out for the rest of 2025, but if all goes according to Tommi’s plan, we may see an even bigger boost than in 2024.

In the Gaming vertical, champion Mythical received extensive chain migration assistance from Parity and Blockdeep Labs, as well as treasury support to onboard the Polkadot community. Recently it has heavily incentivized MYTH staking from its own treasury, resulting in APRs in excess of 200%.

Perhaps this drive to further secure the network is in anticipation of a massive influx of new users following the release of two major mobile game titles this summer. With the first trailers for Pudgy Party and FIFA Rivals dropping this week, the buzz is certainly building.

Behind the scenes, Dot Play, through its Decentralized Futures grant and Polkadot Games Bounty funding, is responsible for Polkadot gaming BD and tooling. While major announcements are yet to come, a look at their child bounties does offer a hint or two. Meanwhile, on the tooling front, it looks like Ajuna will start showcasing the potential of its Substrate asset game engine very soon.

These individual developments contribute to Polkadot’s momentum, but Tommi’s ambition is to unite them under a unified vision, forging a larger and more cohesive force. Executing his plan will likely require the passing of numerous governance votes, but that is nothing new in the world’s largest DAO.

Unlike Solana, whose current struggles stem from piecing together a governance system as an afterthought, Polkadot was engineered for on-chain governance from the outset (although Gav may have been nursing certain ideas for even longer). Despite this solid foundation, it hasn’t been without its controversies, as covered in Wag is OpenGov.

On Polkadot, skin in the game and conviction are deciding factors, while Solana’s convoluted governance process favors VCs and institutions with the resources to run large validators. While in the end SIMD-228 was decided by the smaller validators, token-holders didn’t get a say at all.

In contrast, one could argue that OpenGov referenda can be easily dominated by a whale with conviction. However, given the diversity of token holders, both large and small, it is not unheard of for a whole pod of whales to mobilize in opposition. When faced with continued resistance, even the most resolute whale might leave.

Participation rates in Polkadot governance ebb and flow. Recently, referenda have been largely influenced by Decentralized Voices delegates. Though voter apathy occasionally prevails, polarizing referenda, such as Chainalysis I, II, and III can ignite record turnouts.

With the next cohort of new (or old?) Decentralized Voices delegates joining us soon, perhaps it's time for the Web3 Foundation to shake things up a bit. After all, nothing cures apathy like a little controversy.

Featured Report - Open for DOT Lingo

Written by Dodow

While English-language content dominates WagMedia’s creator economy and supports the Polkadot narrative on mainstream socials, the Wag mission has always welcomed content in other languages. English may cater to global audiences, but it can’t always fully address the preferences of media for certain demographics.

In our recent report celebrating Chinese content in the Polkadot ecosystem, we highlighted that cultural nuances and social impact can only truly be addressed in the native language. Furthermore, it’s important to recognize that distribution channels and methods of social engagement can vary.

Historically, the Polkadot DAO has given the opportunity for ecosystem agents to address the needs of different demographics. However, the recent sentiment of OpenGov has not been as favourable when it comes to funding. Perhaps a mix of market conditions and more appropriate funding initiatives like the Marketing Bounty, Events Bounty, and WagMedia justifies this shift.

After all, the Wag mantra is about helping tell Polkadot’s story, one creator at a time. Creators are encouraged to tap into their own creative ideas while prioritizing substance, authenticity, and smart engagement, all principles that apply regardless of language. It may be just a matter of time before we nurture our next Dotcast, which was originally supported through WagMedia.

In the past, WagMedia catered to over 18 languages, with rewards determined through peer review. Ikhaled currently leads our non-Anglo program and selects reviewers for each submitted piece of content. Additionally, given advancements in translation tools, the emphasis is now on original lingo (i.e., non-English) content.

Currently, our non-Anglo program is steadily gaining momentum in content submissions, with some creators returning after participating in the Spanish Bounty. We have also encouraged AIWeb3 to share content, as they are still without funding.

As for the lingo content generated through the program, Francophone creator Le KOLkadot deserves praise for his long-term, consistent contributions. Regular readers of our newsletter might remember his solid article on Polkadot governance, which was featured in an update we ran last Wagtober. His work in French also stood out in the Bifrost treasury-partner bounty.

Since the start of 2025, Le KOLkadot has created some French-language threads on Polkadot’s association with the TikTok bid and the importance of resilience. While he gets likes and shares on X for his long-thread about Polkadot’s tech, Kaito seems to have trouble figuring out the yaps.

Also figuring things out is newly onboarded creator Irene, who is backed by Polkadot Italia and The White Rabbit. With success as a TikToker, she is also experimenting on CT with Polkadot awareness videos and threads. Hopefully, she takes our feedback on board, as there’s a real buzz around her energy in the videos.

Cycling back to the yapping situation with Kaito, The hodlfather continues his Spanish content contributions with a thread about the Polkadot Yapper’s campaign. In fact, he has been steadily contributing since his return in November with threads on Hyperbridge and his perspective on the referendum relating to Unifying Polkadot Addresses.

Marking his return to Wagging a little later, Nixon currently has two Spanish-language submissions pending peer review. His work tends to be centred around his video-making skills, which have resulted in a guide on using LPs on Hydration and Stellaswap, as well as a tutorial on the Turtle app for Snowbridge.

While translation and dubbing skills are not the main focus of the non-Anglo program, every now and then, a dubbed clip can be quite effective. W3NERICK did a good job executing the dubbing of an 8-minute clip of Gav running DOOM on-chain. Not only was it timely, but he also did well with the distribution on X, and the subtitles were a fantastic finishing touch.

Finishing the lingo content roundup, DrCAO has shared a selection of Chinese content that has yet to be rewarded but received high votes within the AIweb3 Discord. The selection includes two well-crafted Polkadot news videos, reminiscent of the old-school Kusmarian style, created by a team within the AIWeb3 DAO.

There is also a video featuring JAM by Kyrie and two news roundups from DrCAO’s very own Chinese content YouTube channel. The AIWeb3 DAO had also produced a weekly newsletter, featuring news alongside content created by Chinese creators.

WagMedia’s creative economy for lingo content is starting to take shape, with non-Anglo content beginning to come through. Although some of the content featured in this report, at the time of writing, is pending review, we must appreciate that this is grassroots content, and many creators are still finding their feet.

As for some pointers that may help, it is recommended that creators immerse themselves in the Polkadot ecosystem. They can build up their knowledge through the finders program or studying the content of the top creators from our English-content program.

While issuing bounties has been limited this season, we encourage creators to occasionally check the content ideas dump channel for inspiration. For those producing video content, have you considered embedding some quality English subtitles? Many K-drama fans may not understand Korean, yet remain captivated as long as strong subtitles are available.

At the end of the day, great content should not be limited by language barriers or inappropriate distribution channels. In line with the permissionless ethos of Web3, creators ought to consider how they can unlock barriers and avoid being bound by being labelled as just lingo content.

Wag Roundup (March 13th to March 19th)

News found by the community. Curated by the community. Backed by OpenGov.

DOT Ecosystem News

Written by yay.oi

• The growth of major stablecoins issued on Polkadot has reached record levels. The outlook looks promising, with easier access through integration with centralized exchanges and very low transaction fees.

• Thanks to the ongoing work of Velocity Labs, Copper is expanding its institutional-grade digital asset custody offerings to include Polkadot Asset Hub and parachain tokens.

• With the latest Snowbridge update, ERC-20 tokens can now be bridged directly between Ethereum, Hydration, Moonbeam, and Bifrost.

• Peaq's tremendous growth continues, reaching an impressive milestone of 2.5 million wallets with access to 50 DePINs across 20 industries.

• Distribution of Phase 1 PEAQ token rewards for Krest early adopters has begun. Eligible participants will need to link their wallets and pass KYC by April 1st at 6:00 PM CET.

• Acurast has partnered with decentralized VPN Nym to provide residential IPs through its DePIN compute network.

• After surpassing its Evaluation Round target, Xcavate’s fundraise on Polimec has progressed to the Funding Round, which will last for 14 days. Funding will be approved if participants commit at least 33% of the $250K target.

• Funding season has commenced, and now you can bring your own gas. No DOT is required when depositing USDT/C to Polimec, as you can pay your fees in stables.

• With the recently launched Invarch DAO management portal, creating and funding a DAO is easier than ever. You can now bootstrap your DAO treasury with a growing list of assets, including DOT, Polkadot Asset Hub native stablecoins, and even WUD.

• Integritee’s privacy-enhanced transaction DApp Incognitee now supports Asset Hub USDT and USDC for private transfers, vouchers, and messaging.

• Polkadot Italia is running a community engagement campaign on Airlyft. The prize pool, which currently includes Polkadot and Inter Miami CF swag, is growing by the day.

• Vortex, powered by Pendulum, now supports seamless off-ramping of USDT and USDC to Brazilian Real using the Pix instant payment system.

• With the launch of the LAOS-GLMR pair, the LAOS token now has its first liquidity pool on Stellaswap.

• The Bifrost BNC token is now live on Ascendex. Deposit at least 1 BNC by March 24th for a chance to share in a 20K BNC prize pool.

• With almost 100% approval, the 795K DOT multi-chain DOT and vDOT multi-chain liquidity incentives campaign proposed by Hyperbridge and Bifrost has passed by a landslide.

• Polkadot Referendum 1480, if passed, will increase the Proof of Validity block size from 5MB to 10MB, allowing parachains to build larger blocks and use more space for proofs.

• With the passing of Hydration Referendum 40, native ETH has been added to the asset registry and multi-transaction payment pallet.

• Moonbeam Referendum 103 proposes significant changes to streamline the Community Grants Program. If passed, the committee size would be reduced, the term length would increase, and grant projects would receive more comprehensive support from DevRel and Account Managers.

• Take a pudgy peek at the first gameplay trailer for Mythical’s upcoming mobile release Pudgy Party.

• It looks like the NFL has a new rival, as Mythical also dropped the first gameplay trailer for FIFA Rivals this week.

• Tessera, a generative art collection by Arkain, dropped on KodaDot on March 16th and has fully minted out.

• Ajuna’s Big Ballz of Bajun game has surpassed the massive milestone of one million mints.

• In more Season 2 gameplay leaks, Evrloot has revealed Xorvath, a new boss that you’ll encounter in The Rift. Look out for its butcher’s hook special ability, which will drag your back-row character to the front of the battlefield.

DOT Ecosystem Events

Written by yay.oi

• TVVIN held an AMA session on March 17th to update the community on the progress of its upcoming tokenized precious metals platform.
• The latest episode of the Decentralized Mic series, released on March 18th, featured Bill (Web3 Foundation), Joyce (Parity), and Lane (NEAR) comparing the governance approaches of Polkadot, Ethereum, and NEAR.
• On March 18th, Polkadot Nigeria hosted Lucy Coulden (Ambassador Fellowship) to discuss advocacy within the Polkadot ecosystem.
• Magenta Labs hosted Branimir (Origin Trail), Alexandru & Alexis (Gavun Wud), Amir (dataBarista), Hoser (8-Bit Oracle), and TriniZone (TracVerse) on March 18th to discuss the transparency and accountability of AI solutions on Polkadot.
• Republik Labs hosted a panel on March 19th to discuss the shifting dynamics of identity and asset ownership in the Web3 era. It featured Michael & Pakman (Mandala Chain), Lise (TVVIN), and Filippo (Web3 Foundation).
• Alexander, Charu, and Filip of NFTMosaic held their first community call on March 19th.
• On March 19th and 20th, the Nexblock conference in Poland featured presentations by Radhakrishna Dasari (Web3 Foundation), Christopher Kampitsch (Scytale), Ben McMahon (Hydration), and Thomas Riviere (Bifrost). Meanwhile, the Polkadot booth featured Gavun Wud, and our very own Emil Kietzman.

Extras

• Awesome cover art created by SKULLZ.
• For all you budding creators out there, don't hesitate any longer – join us now! There are plenty of rewards awaiting your creativity.