
ChainSights Weekly — Feb 17-22, 2026
The week in DAO governance, measured.

ChainSights Weekly — Feb 24 – Mar 1, 2026
DGI Composite at 5.98 (-0.40). Quiet week — only 3 DAOs moved. PancakeSwap biggest gainer at +0.66. Social DAOs lead all categories.

75% of DAO Delegates Score Below 5 Out of 10 — Here's What That Means
Originally published on chainsights.one/blog
Identity-first governance analytics for DAOs. We analyze how 4,000+ delegates actually vote — not just whether they show up.



ChainSights Weekly — Feb 17-22, 2026
The week in DAO governance, measured.

ChainSights Weekly — Feb 24 – Mar 1, 2026
DGI Composite at 5.98 (-0.40). Quiet week — only 3 DAOs moved. PancakeSwap biggest gainer at +0.66. Social DAOs lead all categories.

75% of DAO Delegates Score Below 5 Out of 10 — Here's What That Means
Originally published on chainsights.one/blog
Identity-first governance analytics for DAOs. We analyze how 4,000+ delegates actually vote — not just whether they show up.

Subscribe to ChainSights

Subscribe to ChainSights
Share Dialog
Share Dialog
<100 subscribers
<100 subscribers
Wallets lie. We don't.
"DAO passes proposal with 99% approval." Sounds democratic, right? Look closer. That 99% came from 12 wallets. Three of them are controlled by the same person. The "community vote" was decided before it started.
We have the infrastructure for decentralized decision-making, but almost no way to measure if it's actually working. Until now.
The DGI is the first curated governance health index for the Snapshot ecosystem. We analyze 46 DAOs across 4 categories, producing a single score from 0–10 that measures how healthy a DAO's governance really is.
Not how many tokens voted. Not how many wallets participated. How many humans are actually governing.
Traditional metrics count wallets. But wallets are cheap — one person can create hundreds. Whales split holdings across dozens of addresses to simulate "broad participation."
The DGI cuts through this with four identity-first signals:
Human Participation Rate (35%) — What percentage of unique humans (not wallets) are actively voting?
Delegate Engagement (25%) — Are delegates actually participating, or just holding tokens?
Power Dynamics (20%) — How concentrated is voting power among top holders? (Modified Gini coefficient)
Grassroots Participation (20%) — Is governance driven by the community or dominated by insiders?
After analyzing 46 major DAOs:
Category | Average DGI | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
DeFi | 6.01 | Healthy |
Social | 4.74 | At Risk |
Infrastructure | 4.27 | At Risk |
Public Goods | 3.27 | Critical |
The uncomfortable truth: only 3 of 46 DAOs score in the "Vital" range (8.0+). Public Goods DAOs — those built to serve the community — have the weakest governance structures, averaging barely above "Critical."
Current Top 3 (February 2026): Radiant Capital (8.6), Alchemix (8.4), Aavegotchi (8.3).
Let's be clear: a high DGI doesn't mean a DAO makes good decisions — just that its decision-making process is decentralized and participatory. We analyze Snapshot governance only. Identity detection has confidence intervals, and we're transparent about uncertainty.
The full DGI rankings are live and free at chainsights.one/governance-index.
Every DAO profile includes overall score, component breakdown, 7-day trends, and category benchmarking. No login. No paywall.
Want deeper analysis? Our Governance Reports provide detailed insights, competitive benchmarks, and actionable recommendations.
ChainSights is built by Mario Semper, founder of masemIT e.U. 3% of all revenue is donated to hoki.help, supporting families with seriously ill children.
Wallets lie. We don't.
Wallets lie. We don't.
"DAO passes proposal with 99% approval." Sounds democratic, right? Look closer. That 99% came from 12 wallets. Three of them are controlled by the same person. The "community vote" was decided before it started.
We have the infrastructure for decentralized decision-making, but almost no way to measure if it's actually working. Until now.
The DGI is the first curated governance health index for the Snapshot ecosystem. We analyze 46 DAOs across 4 categories, producing a single score from 0–10 that measures how healthy a DAO's governance really is.
Not how many tokens voted. Not how many wallets participated. How many humans are actually governing.
Traditional metrics count wallets. But wallets are cheap — one person can create hundreds. Whales split holdings across dozens of addresses to simulate "broad participation."
The DGI cuts through this with four identity-first signals:
Human Participation Rate (35%) — What percentage of unique humans (not wallets) are actively voting?
Delegate Engagement (25%) — Are delegates actually participating, or just holding tokens?
Power Dynamics (20%) — How concentrated is voting power among top holders? (Modified Gini coefficient)
Grassroots Participation (20%) — Is governance driven by the community or dominated by insiders?
After analyzing 46 major DAOs:
Category | Average DGI | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
DeFi | 6.01 | Healthy |
Social | 4.74 | At Risk |
Infrastructure | 4.27 | At Risk |
Public Goods | 3.27 | Critical |
The uncomfortable truth: only 3 of 46 DAOs score in the "Vital" range (8.0+). Public Goods DAOs — those built to serve the community — have the weakest governance structures, averaging barely above "Critical."
Current Top 3 (February 2026): Radiant Capital (8.6), Alchemix (8.4), Aavegotchi (8.3).
Let's be clear: a high DGI doesn't mean a DAO makes good decisions — just that its decision-making process is decentralized and participatory. We analyze Snapshot governance only. Identity detection has confidence intervals, and we're transparent about uncertainty.
The full DGI rankings are live and free at chainsights.one/governance-index.
Every DAO profile includes overall score, component breakdown, 7-day trends, and category benchmarking. No login. No paywall.
Want deeper analysis? Our Governance Reports provide detailed insights, competitive benchmarks, and actionable recommendations.
ChainSights is built by Mario Semper, founder of masemIT e.U. 3% of all revenue is donated to hoki.help, supporting families with seriously ill children.
Wallets lie. We don't.
1 comment
We track 47 DAOs, of which X have been governance-inactive for 6+ months.