Governance

How QAIT Governs the Ecosystem

QAIT Association uses a structured, multi-body governance framework to manage protocol evolution, compliance, and treasury decisions — balancing technical rigour with community participation.

Read the Governance Specification

Governance Structure

Association Council

The primary governance body of QAIT Association. The Council ratifies major protocol changes, approves treasury allocations, and ensures the association operates within its statutory mandate.

Token Holder Voting

QAIT token holders participate directly in on-chain governance. Any holder meeting the minimum stake threshold may vote on active proposals during the designated voting window.

Technical Committee

A standing committee of security and protocol specialists. All proposed changes to the SEALCOIN protocol must pass Technical Committee review before proceeding to a community vote.

Compliance Working Group

Monitors regulatory developments across jurisdictions, proposes compliance policy updates, and ensures QAIT governance remains aligned with applicable law — including Swiss association law and eIDAS.

Decentralisation

Path to a DAO

Governance will begin as a centralised structure under SEALCOIN AG to ensure regulatory compliance and operational stability during the platform's early phases.

The long-term plan is a progressive transition to a community-driven model through a Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO) — balancing initial institutional control with the project's vision of full decentralisation.

Phase 1 — Centralised

SEALCOIN AG maintains primary control. Regulatory compliance and operational stability are the priority. Governance decisions made by the Association Council.

Phase 2 — Hybrid

Token holder voting is introduced for protocol parameter changes and treasury allocations. Community participation grows progressively.

Phase 3 — DAO

Full transition to a community-driven, on-chain governance model. The Association Council acts as steward rather than decision-maker.

Governance Process

Protocol changes, treasury decisions, and policy updates follow a structured five-stage process designed to ensure technical soundness, community input, and legal compliance.

Draft Proposal

Any QAIT token holder meeting the minimum stake threshold may submit a governance proposal. Proposals must include a clear objective, technical specification, and expected ecosystem impact.

Technical Review

The Technical Committee evaluates the proposal for security, protocol compatibility, and feasibility. The Committee may request revisions before clearing the proposal for a vote.

Community Vote

Cleared proposals enter a public voting window. Token holders cast weighted votes on-chain. A quorum of participating tokens and a supermajority threshold are required for a proposal to pass.

Council Ratification

Passed proposals are reviewed by the Association Council for statutory compliance. The Council may veto proposals that conflict with Swiss law or the Association's founding statutes.

Implementation

Ratified proposals are assigned to the Technical Committee for implementation. Changes are deployed according to the protocol upgrade schedule with appropriate notice periods.

Key Parameters

Governance parameters define the rules for participation and decision-making. They are themselves subject to governance votes and documented in the QAIT Whitepaper.

Full Specification

Minimum Stake to Propose: Defined in Whitepaper §9
Voting Window: 7 days
Quorum Requirement: Minimum participation threshold
Passing Threshold: Supermajority (>66%)
Council Veto Window: 72 hours post-vote
Implementation Notice: Minimum 14 days