Cardano at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026: Top-Up ‘Title’ Sponsorship Upgrade
184 DReps voted · 68 with a rationale · 6 changed their vote · 3 re-voted unchanged
Open a row to read the rationale.
Changed votes: 5 to yes, 1 to no, together voting with 496.9M ₳ of voting power.
- Yes9.5M ₳Rationale
I am voting Yes to both Baseline and Title Sponsorship proposals.
If we are going to show up at an event like TOKEN2049, we should do so with intention and make it count. This is one of the few opportunities to position Cardano in front of a global, external audience at scale, and a fragmented or minimal presence risks being lost entirely.
I view these proposals together as a single strategic decision around representation. While this level of spend requires scrutiny, the alternative—underinvesting and failing to stand out—undermines the purpose of being there at all. If we believe external visibility and ecosystem expansion matter, then we need to commit to it meaningfully.
That said, support here comes with expectations. This must translate into a structured pipeline—engagement, follow-up, and measurable outcomes—not just exposure. Future proposals in this category should be evaluated based on what is actually delivered from this effort.
This is a “make it count” moment. We need to show up with clarity, intent, and execution.
- Yes8.9M ₳Rationale
RCADA votes YES on this top-up with reservations. We did not have the opportunity to vote on the Baseline Platinum proposal before it ratified, so this decision should not be interpreted as retrospective endorsement of that original action. Our review is limited to the incremental Title upgrade now before us.
Given that the Baseline sponsorship has already been approved by Cardano governance, this top-up presents a modular decision on whether the ecosystem should secure additional premium visibility at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026. The upgrade provides a larger booth footprint, mainstage keynote, press release inclusion, media introductions, lanyard branding, and additional event access. These are tangible sponsorship benefits, and the proposal includes defined KPIs, refund provisions, surplus-return language, smart contract administration, third-party assurance, and public reporting commitments.
RCADA’s support is cautious. We do not see strong public precedent proving that premium conference sponsorship reliably produces proportional ROI, and current bear-market conditions may dampen enthusiasm, investor appetite, and near-term conversion. However, visibility during weaker market conditions can also be strategically useful if executed well, especially where builders receive meaningful access and Cardano presents a unified, professional ecosystem presence.
Our YES vote is therefore conditional in spirit: EMURGO and Intersect should provide clear post-event reporting, including evidence of builder participation, media outcomes, lead quality, partnership follow-through, wallet or user-acquisition results, and a transparent accounting of any surplus or unused funds. This vote should not establish a default precedent for high-cost event branding, but supports this specific modular upgrade following the already-ratified Baseline sponsorship.
RCADA's full vote assessment can be found here: "https://brolloks.github.io/rcada-drep-votes/."
- Abstain8.1M ₳No rationale
- No7.6M ₳Rationale
I am using the CF voting tool and it forces me to use this summary field "The summary field is mandatory". So this is just filler. Rationale is below.
I see a lot of unfinished business on Cardano itself that probably needs addressing relatively urgently now. SPO sustainability, scalability, overall chain sustainability, governance participation / hardening, delivery of all critical integrations and then their proper integration by projects building on Cardano, improving the end user experience for Cardano users, lowering the costs of the Haskell node work through competition, possibly BTC DeFi, among others. I just don't feel comfortable spending funds on marketing until fundamental issues are sorted out properly. Cardano seems semi-finished for a new user, with a lot of copies of narratives from other chains where they might be implemented better, and that is probably one reason why users are leaving. Right now, maybe even later, I do not see Treasury funds being used for event sponsorships as a wise use of the Treasury. Maybe it would make sense when Cardano is ready to offer a new, unique narrative and a new set of services to the crypto world. This seems to be a transition period during which Cardano is seeking how to carve out its role in the crypto world - and it is struggling. I would prefer to wait until a clear message on what Cardano is doing well - can be sent.
Separately from the merits of this specific proposal, I have a standing platform commitment to vote NO on EMURGO-related treasury withdrawals until March 15, 2027. That commitment is tied to unresolved concerns around the Yoroi wallet governance UI issue and the accumulation of DRep power through that soft nudging of wallet users. I acknowledge the announced effort by EMURGO and Yoroi to address this, but it has taken too long. The first Voltaire vote took place back in September 2024. As a result, I will use a sufficiently long period to assess whether this issue has been remedied properly. - No7.3M ₳No rationale
- No6.8M ₳No rationale
- YesChanged6.7M ₳History
Earlier votes
Abstain4mo agoSuperseded
- Yes5.7M ₳No rationale
- No5.7M ₳No rationale
- No5.5M ₳Rationale
I have supported EMURGO for years and consistently voted in favor of their Catalyst initiatives. However, I have now lost faith in this founding entity for reasons that extend beyond the scope of this particular vote.
While I believe it is important for Cardano to maintain a presence at Token2049, I do not trust EMURGO to manage these funds responsibly. The requested amount remains excessive, especially given current market conditions and the price of ADA.
Before seeking additional treasury resources for events and travel, EMURGO should first demonstrate their value by putting their own genesis ADA to productive use. If they have not done so already, there is little reason to believe they will begin now. - Abstain5.5M ₳No rationale
- No5.3M ₳Rationale
STORM Partners votes NO on Cardano at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026: Top-Up ‘Title’ Sponsorship Upgrade.
We support the baseline TOKEN2049 presence, but we do not believe the incremental upgrade is justified under the current NCL pressure. The baseline proposal already gives Cardano a serious presence: a large booth, builder stage, event tickets, lead scanning, brand visibility, and coordinated support for ecosystem projects.
The top-up adds premium exposure, including a mainstage keynote, expanded booth size, lanyard branding, media introductions, and additional event access. These are valuable, but they are marginal benefits rather than essential adoption infrastructure.
Given the constrained NCL and the number of competing proposals, we believe the additional ₳1.77M is better preserved for direct adoption, ecosystem usage, or higher-priority funding needs. We vote NO on the top-up while supporting the baseline.
- No5.2M ₳Rationale
We vote NO for this proposal.
The proposed upgrade from the basic "Platinum" package to "Title" costs an additional $424,360 USD (over 1.76 million ADA) but offers extremely limited benefits.
Spending a large amount of ADA from the national treasury on purely image-based marketing items (such as a 15-minute presentation on the main stage, printing logos on lanyards, or a protein shake stand) in the current market is not feasible. The basic Platinum package is sufficient to ensure Cardano's necessary presence with international investors and partners.
We need to maintain strict fiscal discipline to protect the Treasury for core infrastructure development projects (such as Hydra, Leios, Midnight) and directly support the builders – those who actually create real utility for Cardano – instead of investing in extravagant brand-building campaigns with extremely vague ROI and clear signs of declining performance.
- Abstain5.1M ₳No rationale
- Abstain5.1M ₳No rationale
- No4.9M ₳No rationale
- No4.8M ₳No rationale
- No4.5M ₳No rationale
- Yes4.4M ₳No rationale
- No4.2M ₳Rationale
[Portuguese]
Optamos por votar "NÃO" nesta ação de governança "Cardano at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026: Top-Up ‘Title’ Sponsorship Upgrade" (gov_action1kj6...0pckkw), pois a proposta anterior, na categoria “Platinum”, já foi aprovada e, em nossa avaliação, garante uma presença forte e adequada da Cardano no TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026, incluindo exposição institucional, estande de destaque, oportunidades de networking, geração de leads e espaço para participação de projetos do ecossistema. Embora o upgrade para a categoria “Title” acrescente benefícios adicionais, como keynote no palco principal, ampliação da área de estande, menções em comunicados à imprensa, introduções à mídia e ativações extras de marca, entendemos que esses ganhos são incrementais e não justificam o custo adicional de ₳1.768.167, equivalente a aproximadamente US$ 424 mil. Consideramos que a relação custo-benefício do upgrade não é suficientemente convincente, especialmente porque os principais objetivos de visibilidade, presença institucional e relacionamento estratégico já estão contemplados pela proposta “Platinum” aprovada anteriormente. Nosso voto "NÃO" não representa oposição à participação da Cardano no TOKEN2049, mas sim uma decisão de prudência na utilização dos recursos da Tesouraria. Entendemos que os recursos comunitários devem ser priorizados para iniciativas com impacto mais direto, mensurável e eficiente para o desenvolvimento do ecossistema.
[English]
We chose to vote "NO" on this governance action "Cardano at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026: Top-Up ‘Title’ Sponsorship Upgrade" (gov_action1kj6...0pckkw), because the previously approved “Platinum” sponsorship proposal already provides what we consider to be a strong and appropriate Cardano presence at TOKEN2049 Singapore 2026, including institutional exposure, a prominent booth, networking opportunities, lead generation, and space for ecosystem projects to participate. While the upgrade to “Title” sponsorship adds benefits such as a main-stage keynote, a larger exhibition area, press release mentions, media introductions, and additional branding activations, we view these advantages as incremental and insufficient to justify the additional cost of ₳1,768,167, equivalent to approximately US$424,000. In our assessment, the cost-benefit ratio of the upgrade is not compelling enough, particularly because the primary objectives of visibility, institutional presence, and strategic relationship-building are already covered by the previously approved “Platinum” proposal. Our "NO" vote should not be interpreted as opposition to Cardano’s participation in TOKEN2049. Rather, it reflects a prudent approach to Treasury spending. We believe community resources should be prioritized toward initiatives with more direct, measurable, and efficient impact on ecosystem development. - No4.2M ₳No rationale
- No4M ₳Rationale
Through the lens of my former career as a marketing exec, I do not see Token2049 as likely to significantly impact Cardano's main bottlenecks.
A PDF version of this rationale is also made available.
I do not currently view this as a high-priority treasury allocation relative to other ecosystem needs.
I understand the strategic rationale for maintaining a flagship Cardano summit presence, particularly in Singapore given its regional positioning, business environment, and relevance within the broader digital asset industry. Large ecosystem events can provide real value through coordination, relationship-building, visibility, and institutional signaling.
However, I believe treasury governance should distinguish carefully between strategically useful ecosystem activity and genuinely critical public infrastructure.
At the current stage of ecosystem development, Cardano’s more immediate bottlenecks remain concentrated around liquidity, application density, interoperability, developer adoption, and sustainable economic activity. A large conference may indirectly support some of those goals, but it does not address them directly in the way protocol, tooling, or infrastructure investments potentially can.
I am also cautious about normalizing ongoing treasury support for large ecosystem events because conference spending is inherently difficult to evaluate rigorously. Attribution of ecosystem growth, partnerships, or adoption to event activity is often speculative, and event proposals can easily drift toward weak accountability, prestige spending, and soft-power concentration around ecosystem institutions.
Additionally, flagship summits inevitably shape ecosystem narratives, visibility, and access structures, which makes them governance-relevant beyond simple event organization.
This does not mean the summit lacks value. It likely does provide ecosystem benefits. But treasury capital is finite, and I am not currently convinced this proposal represents sufficiently urgent or strategically indispensable infrastructure relative to other competing priorities.
- Yes3.7M ₳No rationale
- No3.6M ₳No rationale
- No3.5M ₳Rationale
same as for the baseline budget: hard no from me.
- Yes3.5M ₳No rationale
- Yes2.8M ₳No rationale
- No2.8M ₳No rationale
- Abstain2.7M ₳No rationale
- No2.7M ₳No rationale
- Yes2.7M ₳Rationale
Cardanoはいま勝負時です。Leios、Midnight、Bitcoin DeFi、RWA、stablecoinなど次の成長材料が揃いつつある一方、市場ではFUDや過小評価も根強く残っています。だからこそ、世界最大級のWeb3イベントでCardanoの実力、Builderの存在、将来の市場戦略を正面から示す必要があります。本提案は単なる広告費ではなく、CardanoがFUDを振り払い、次の成長局面へ進むための戦略的露出投資として賛成します。
Cardano is at a critical moment. With Leios, Midnight, Bitcoin DeFi, RWA, stablecoins, and a growing builder ecosystem, the foundations for the next phase are emerging. At the same time, Cardano continues to face FUD and market underestimation. This is why we should not stay defensive. A Title Sponsorship at TOKEN2049 Singapore is a strategic visibility investment to show Cardano’s strength, builders, and future direction to institutions, media, and the broader Web3 market. I support this proposal.
- Abstain2.5M ₳No rationale
- Abstain2.5M ₳Rationale
gold is maybe good enough but ill abstain
- Yes2.3M ₳No rationale
- No2.3M ₳No rationale
- Yes2.2M ₳No rationale
- No2.2M ₳No rationale
- No2.1M ₳No rationale
- No2.1M ₳Rationale
I am voting NO on the TOKEN2049 Title Sponsorship Top-Up.
I support Cardano having a strong presence at major global events, and I recognise the value of TOKEN2049 as one of the most important conferences in the crypto industry. I also appreciate that the proposal has been structured with clearer administration, oversight, and refund provisions.
However, my concern is with the proportionality of this additional spend.
The baseline TOKEN2049 proposal already gives Cardano a meaningful presence at the event. This top-up is specifically asking the Treasury to fund an upgrade from Platinum to Title sponsorship, with benefits such as a larger booth, mainstage keynote slot, branding visibility, media introductions, lanyards, networking access, and other premium exposure.
Those benefits may well have value, but I do not believe the case has been made that this additional premium package is necessary or represents the best use of Treasury funds at this time.
This is not a vote against marketing, events, EMURGO, or Cardano being visible on the global stage. It is a vote against this specific incremental top-up. In my view, Treasury spending should be disciplined and proportionate, especially when the additional ask is for premium brand positioning rather than core delivery, infrastructure, builder support, or activity that is clearly essential to the ecosystem.
For those reasons, I am voting NO.
- Yes2M ₳No rationale
- Abstain1.9M ₳No rationale
- No1.8M ₳Rationale
EMURGO is the primary commercial beneficiary of this sponsorship — institutional relationships, media access, and brand positioning in their home market — while contributing 0% of the cost. Where a founding entity has direct commercial upside from treasury-funded marketing, they should co-fund at least 50%. Until that standard is met, this vote is No.
- No1.7M ₳Rationale
It's pure marketing, not infrastructure or a public good. Treasury funds should go to durable ecosystem assets
- No1.6M ₳No rationale
- No1.6M ₳No rationale
- No1.6M ₳Rationale
I voted yes for the ‘Platinum’ tier, but am voting no on this proposal. I do not feel the additional benefits would be worthwhile at this time.
- Abstain1.6M ₳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. - Yes1.6M ₳No rationale
- No1.5M ₳No rationale
- No1.4M ₳No rationale