Cardano at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026: Baseline ‘Platinum' Sponsorship Proposal
184 DReps voted · 60 with a rationale
Open a row to read the rationale.
- Yes 1.4M ₳ No rationale
- No 1.4M ₳ No rationale
- Yes 1.2M ₳ Rationale
I vote YES on the TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026 Baseline Platinum sponsorship because Cardano should be visibly present where the major crypto, Web3, institutional, exchange, infrastructure, and investor conversations are happening. TOKEN2049 Singapore is one of the largest industry gatherings, and not being there would send the wrong signal at a time when Cardano needs stronger external visibility, partnerships, and adoption channels. I support this baseline proposal because it gives Cardano builders a practical presence through booth space, a dedicated stage, tickets, lead generation, and post-event reporting, while avoiding an automatic commitment to the more expensive Title upgrade. I remain mindful of the Net Change Limit and treasury discipline, so this support depends on efficient execution, transparent reporting, and measurable follow-up after the event. In this case, the strategic need to show up in front of the right companies and decision-makers outweighs the cost concerns.
- Yes 1.2M ₳ Rationale
It is important that Cardano has a strong presence at TOKEN2049, arguably the largest crypto event in the world, if we want to be taken seriously.
While I still consider the ask for the Platinum sponsorship proposal to be high, there are no alternative proposals, and time is pressing to secure a meaningful presence at the event. I also appreciate EMURGO listening to DReps and providing options. For these reasons, I will approve the base proposal.
While I recognize the potential benefits of a Title sponsorship, I am not convinced that the additional exposure justifies the extra cost. Therefore, I will abstain from the top-up proposal for now. - Abstain 1.1M ₳ No rationale
- Yes 1.1M ₳ No rationale
- No 1.1M ₳ No rationale
- No 1M ₳ Rationale
The idea is understandable but treasury-wise it is deeply unconvincing to spend 3M ADA to buy Cardano a prominent booth and give builders visibility, tickets, stage time, networking access, and media capture. I understand the instinct as somebody who's been in the global media and entertainment markets for 30+ years. Signal matters, presence matters. But what has to be understood here is that treasury governance is not an exercise in buying expensive optics and calling it ecosystem growth. As DReps we're asked to exercise capital discipline, and my central problem is this: the proposal sells exposure as if exposure were impact. It promises visibility, spotlight, institutional access, and “25k+ decision makers,” yet it does not convincingly prove in any way that this event-native marketing spend is the best use of scarce treasury capital versus more targeted builder enablement, developer adoption, regional accelerator support, or measurable GTM programs with lower burn and clearer conversion logic.To me, this is a very costly brand activation dressed up as ecosystem infrastructure with some nice parties and free drinks thrown in.
Cardano already has multiple channels for ecosystem promotion, community events, content distribution, and business development. “Bigger booth, louder signal” is not a feasible adoption strategy. I think the entire proposal shows expensive insecurity in a branded suit.
As such, I don't treasury-efficient value creation. It may be good event marketing, but I certainly do not believe it is good treasury policy nor do I believe it will significantly increase adoption at this crucial stage in the Cardano ecosystem. - Yes 985.7K ₳ Rationale
Yes , need some marketing and presence.
- Yes 955.2K ₳ No rationale
- No 922.9K ₳ No rationale
- Yes 860.4K ₳ No rationale
- Yes 818K ₳ Rationale
Balancing fiscal conservatism with the need for global ecosystem expansion is the core duty of a responsible DRep. This baseline proposal strikes an excellent compromise by minimizing treasury strain while ensuring Cardano does not cede its position on the global stage during a critical market window. Providing decentralized builders with a subsidized, high-traffic platform to pitch venture capital and secure cross-chain partnerships offers a clear, actionable path toward measurable ecosystem growth.
Latin American Cardano Ecosystem Impact Statement: While this global activation takes place in Singapore, elevating Cardano's institutional relevance directly expands the commercial horizons for regional operations. Securing global capital visibility and ecosystem maturity helps pave the way for downstream cross-border investments, strategic partnerships, and liquidity injections that Latin American builders can directly leverage to scale local Web3 applications. - No 804.1K ₳ Rationale
EMURGO contributes 0% of the $792,900 cost while retaining the commercial and reputational benefits of executing a flagship sponsorship in their home market. The same principle applies here as to the top-up: a founding entity with direct commercial upside from treasury-funded marketing should co-fund at least 50%. Until that standard is met, this vote is No.
- No 793K ₳ Rationale
Genesis holder FE should be sustainable enough to fund such a basic endeavor without pulling from the Treasury.
- No 785.2K ₳ Rationale
For this TOKEN2049 proposal specifically, I would vote NO.
My reasoning is materially different from the Summit proposal.
The Summit proposal at least attempts to create:
- a proprietary Cardano event,
- long-term institutional positioning,
- ecosystem governance coordination,
- and a flagship identity.
This TOKEN2049 proposal is mostly:
- sponsorship,
- booth presence,
- branding,
- and conference marketing.
That is much weaker treasury spend quality.
The biggest issue is this:
The proposal repeatedly frames visibility as strategic leverage, but the measurable outcomes are extremely soft.
The KPIs are not convincing:
- 1950 contacts,
- merch distribution,
- academy signups,
- media mentions,
- wallet signups,
- “strategic collaborations initiated.”
These are classic conference vanity metrics.
There is no strong mechanism connecting:
- $793k spend
to - durable ecosystem value accrual.
Also:
- $250k for booth/logistics is very high,
- 15% management fee is aggressive,
- and EMURGO benefits reputationally and commercially regardless of actual ecosystem ROI.
The strongest argument in favor is:
- Singapore relevance,
- institutional concentration,
- EMURGO’s local presence,
- and piggybacking on TOKEN2049 traffic.
Those are valid points.
But I still do not think this clears the threshold for treasury spending.
If I were allocating scarce treasury capital in Cardano today, I would prioritize:
- liquidity incentives,
- stablecoin growth,
- developer grants,
- wallet UX,
- DeFi infrastructure,
- RWA integrations,
- AI-agent tooling,
- identity infrastructure,
- or direct ecosystem acceleration.
Not nearly $800k for conference sponsorship optics.
So my answer is:
- Summit proposal: YES
- TOKEN2049 sponsorship proposal: NO
- No 765.1K ₳ Rationale
Difficult to justify at current price. Let's do it another year.
- Yes 738.5K ₳ No rationale
- Yes 733.1K ₳ Rationale
I support this proposal as it increases global visibility and strategic exposure for the Cardano ecosystem!!!
- No 654.5K ₳ Rationale
Cardano at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026 — my answer is NO.
This proposal asks for 3,303,750 ADA from the Cardano treasury for a Platinum sponsorship at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026.
And again, I do not see real value in this.
At the end of the day, this is still about:
• booths
• stages
• tickets
• logistics
• marketing
• videos
• networking
• presentations about partnerships and institutionsYes, they call it “Cardano promotion.”
But the simple reality is this:
millions of ADA from the treasury are once again being spent on an offline event.
Not on development.
Not on supporting active DReps.
Not on the people who constantly review proposals, vote, analyze budgets, and explain governance to the community.
In my opinion, these funds would create far more value if they were allocated toward supporting DRep work.
Because a conference lasts two days.
Governance work happens every single day.
My vote is — NO.
I registered as a DRep and I am ready to help shape the future of the ecosystem. Optimistic about building the largest digital community in the world. 🖤
My DRep ID:
➡️ drep1y269ehxj30k4vfzfc2z84v0xykd3amuy2xn0kv9zf8rhcec2fg2jrMore info:
https://t.me/PROCENT666/338 - Abstain 624.8K ₳ Rationale
Resolve the Yoroi governance UI issue. The pathway back to treasury support is clear. This vote is a reaffirmation of that commitment, not a judgment on Singapore or TOKEN2049. Vote abstain.
EMURGO Ask: ₳3,303,750 Booth build $250,000 (31.5%), EMURGO 15% management fee $97,485A PDF version of this rationale is also made available.
I'm voting “Abstain” on this proposal, and the reason has nothing to do with TOKEN2049 being the wrong venue or EMURGO being the wrong operator. This no vote is the product of a standing commitment I made publicly and have maintained: I will not vote yes on EMURGO treasury withdrawals until the Yoroi wallet governance UI issue is properly remedied. That commitment runs through March 15, 2027. EMURGO has been aware of it. The commitment stands.
The proposal itself has real elements worth acknowledging. The builder substage format with 30 dedicated tickets, live ecosystem demos, lead scanning, and post-event lead routing to relevant projects is genuine public goods infrastructure for builders who couldn't afford this footprint independently. The co-location timing with the CF Summit creates a natural October 5–8 window where Cardano has sequential presence across both the community event and the institutional event, which is a coherent strategy. And I'll note that Charles Hoskinson has publicly committed to personally top up the TOKEN2049 sponsorship to Title level from his own resources, which means the ecosystem may get the full-tier presence regardless of this vote's outcome, without an additional treasury ask.
The merit concerns that would exist independent of the standing commitment are also worth documenting. EMURGO has operated a TOKEN2049 partnership privately for four years, from 2022 through 2025. A well-capitalized founding entity with a Singapore headquarters and that track record should be absorbing more of this cost before coming to the treasury. The 15% management fee on top of pass-through costs from the same entity executing the work is the kind of overhead that the treasury should not routinely fund for founding-level participants. On the merits alone, this would be a conditional yes with documented concerns, but the standing commitment does not permit that.
EMURGO knows what is required to earn a yes vote from me. Resolve the Yoroi governance UI issue. The pathway back to treasury support is clear. This abstain vote is a reaffirmation of that commitment, not a judgment on Singapore or TOKEN2049. Vote abstain. - Yes 601.8K ₳ No rationale
- No 589.2K ₳ Rationale
Dont feel this is vital spending, and instead prefer to support critical infrastructure that will put Cardano best in class.
- No 587.1K ₳ No rationale
- No 536.5K ₳ Rationale
Retire the YOROI dRep
- Yes 534.3K ₳ Rationale
Platinum
- Yes 487.1K ₳ No rationale
- No 481.5K ₳ Rationale
- Yes 466.2K ₳ No rationale
- Yes 445.1K ₳ No rationale
- No 443.5K ₳ No rationale
- Abstain 438.7K ₳ No rationale
- No 426.2K ₳ Rationale
I do not support funding for Cardano Summit or Token2049 under the current market conditions. At this stage, marketing is not going to lift Cardano or any other cryptocurrency. If anything, we can look at Polkadot as a clear example. They reportedly spent around $37 million on marketing and sponsorships — equivalent to roughly 148 million ADA — and still dropped about seven positions on CoinMarketCap.I do not support this type of spending. This is not a marketing problem, it is a utility problem. I only support proposals that include measurable KPIs and a clear, concrete return to the blockchain. How many times have we attended these kinds of events, and what has been the result? Moving from #8 to #15? Even with significant investment, Polkadot still lost ground. That should tell us something. We should learn from these kinds of mistakes and avoid repeating them.
- Abstain 385.6K ₳ Rationale
Abstaining, as I’m part of the Cardano Constitution Committee Tingvard.
Reading proposals and staying updated, just like you.
Thanks to all fellow DReps who are also doing the hard work.
Follow and DM me on X: @kenerik if you have any questions. - No 382.6K ₳ No rationale
- Yes 377.3K ₳ No rationale
- No 365.3K ₳ No rationale
- Yes 328.9K ₳ No rationale
- Yes 314.4K ₳ Rationale
I'm voting YES on TOKEN2049 Singapore. EMURGO listened to community feedback, reducing the budget request. Cardano requires active global marketing, and the world’s largest Web3 event provides a vital opportunity for exposure and builder support.
A PDF version of this rationale is also made available.
I decided to support this proposal based on these three points:
- Community Feedback Addressed: EMURGO listened to initial DRep and community feedback regarding the budget scale, separating this from the Cardano Summit proposal and lowering the tier to a more responsible 'Platinum' request.
- Essential Marketing Presence: Cardano needs active global marketing. As the world's largest crypto and Web3 event, TOKEN2049 Singapore provides a necessary platform to put our ecosystem in front of over 25,000 decision-makers and investors.
- Direct Value for Builders: This sponsorship directly supports our ecosystem projects by providing them with free tickets, dedicated presentation stage time, and global exposure that they otherwise could not access individually.
- Abstain 313.1K ₳ No rationale
- No 298.6K ₳ Rationale
Voting NO on Cardano at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026: Baseline ‘Platinum' Sponsorship Proposa
May 21st 2026
gov_action18u8lpkzge2csxe3plynn9lh4agwtv3nrqkyfwalwj4ykjv7l68jqqzmul9z
Summary
EMURGO requests 3,303,750 ada (currently $821,942.37 USD) to sponsor TOKEN2049. TOKEN2049 is a big party where everyone in the crypto industry gets together and ideas are cross-pollinated.
Conclusion
I'm voting against this proposal for many of the same reasons as last time. This is not a good use of marketing funds. We should be looking to fund efforts which introduce non-crypto users to Cardano.
Signed,
William DoyleYour friendly neighbourhood DRep!
$computerman
drep1yfpgzfymq6tt9c684e7vzata8r5pl4w84fmrjqeztdqw0sgpzw3nt
https://x.com/william00000010
contact@williamdoyle.ca - Abstain 295.2K ₳ No rationale
- No 279.5K ₳ No rationale
- Yes 271.5K ₳ No rationale
- No 257K ₳ Rationale
I am voting NO on “Cardano at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026 – Baseline ‘Platinum’ Sponsorship” at 3,303,750 ADA.
This revised proposal is an improvement over the earlier Summit+Title package: the scope has been narrowed to TOKEN2049 only, the budget is smaller, and the structure is more clearly builder‑centric. Cardano would receive a high‑visibility booth, a dedicated builder sub‑stage, 30 builder tickets, branded Wi‑Fi, welcome‑bag inserts, lead‑scanning, and broad exposure across TOKEN2049’s app, website, and signage, with solid constitutional compliance via Intersect’s Sundae Labs treasury contracts, multi‑sig oversight, milestones, and clear refund conditions. EMURGO’s local presence and multi‑year relationship with TOKEN2049 also reduce execution risk, and the KPIs (1,950 contacts, 20 collaborations, 13 expert slots, 200 wallet sign‑ups, 200 academy subscribers, 20 media pieces, plus explicit post‑event on‑chain tracking) are more concrete than in past event proposals.
However, even with these positives, I do not find the funding proportionality or expected ROI compelling enough to justify nearly 800,000 USD of treasury spend for a two‑day, marketing‑heavy activation. The budget allocates 399,900 USD to the sponsorship fee, 250,000 USD to “Booth Build and Logistics”, and 97,485 USD (15%) to “Management, Logistics & Community Support”. Several DReps have convincingly argued that these levels are out of line with reasonable event costs and represent weak value for money when compared with the projected KPIs, especially in a bear‑market context where other ecosystems have spent large amounts on sponsorships without seeing durable gains in usage or market position. At the same time, the treasury in this Net Change Limit window is already supporting foundational work on consensus (Leios), protocol upgrades, and the Orion Fund—initiatives that are far closer to non‑substitutable infrastructure or clearly levered growth capital than another conference booth. Given the opportunity cost and the lack of strong evidence that prior EMURGO‑led activations have produced lasting on‑chain outcomes commensurate with their cost, I believe these funds are better reserved for core protocol work, product‑driven ecosystem growth, and more cost‑effective builder support rather than this Platinum sponsorship.
- No 245K ₳ Rationale
Cardano Foundation's purpose of existence is to fund things like this themselves using the massive amount of genesis ADA they were given, and the staking profits accumulated since.
- No 238.2K ₳ No rationale
- Abstain 215.5K ₳ No rationale
- No 212.5K ₳ No rationale
- Yes 209K ₳ Rationale
no brainer. cardano needs to maintain momentum with marketing. the unified events approach has allowed the ecosystem to pick up momentum. token 2049 2025 worked out well, 2026 is looking to be more important, especially paired with the cardano summit proposal. this is a battle tested approach to getting the best out of a core ecosystem event and tap into the broader industry. eg. solana and breakpoint or whatever other major event is always tied to a large event. no brainer. can't believe we're nitpicking this point when we're readily overspending on R&D and infra like we did in 2025.