2026-01-09 18:20:44

DeFi project marketing logic is undergoing a dramatic change.

In the past few years, projects seeking liquidity had to spend money on advertising, airdrops, and humble requests to users. But within the ListaDAO framework, everything has flipped—the project team now directly pays holders.

The core of this shift lies in the Gauge Voting mechanism. When PancakeSwap or other stablecoin projects need lisUSD liquidity support, the most cost-effective approach isn't advertising but directly purchasing veLISTA voting rights or bribing those who hold voting power. ListaDAO calls this market the "bribery market."

Essentially, this is a structural shift: from "marketing budget" to "governance rent." Projects find it more efficient to spend money competing for voting rights than on advertising. What does this mean for LISTA holders? Your tokens are no longer just paper assets but a toll booth—able to collect tolls from the entire ecosystem.

This reflects an interesting paradox in DeFi governance incentives: does the commercialization of liquidity command rights improve capital efficiency, or does it evolve into a new form of rent-seeking?

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ApeWithNoChain

· 12h ago

Damn, this is the "bribery market," directly treating governance rights like stocks for sale? --- LISTA holders can earn passively, I like this logic, but it feels like they're taking the old route again. --- Basically, it's still whoever has the money calls the shots, just a different name for rent-seeking. --- Wait, does that mean my LISTA is actually collecting tolls? Then I better hoard it! --- Project teams spend money to buy voting rights... What's the difference from bribery, just a more formal way of saying it. --- Hey, no, if this continues, genuine ecosystem users will be getting their wool pulled over their eyes. --- This set of ListaDAO completely reverses the game rules, though it feels a bit crazy, it’s indeed efficient. --- The term governance rent sounds very Web3; as long as there's money to be made, that's all that matters. --- So now holding LISTA means I can charge others? I've never heard of such a good thing. --- It looks like DeFi governance has become marketized; it's really hard to say who the real winner is.

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BearMarketMonk

· 12h ago

Haha, basically it's just power rent-seeking under a different guise. --- veLISTA has become the new ATM, with project sponsors lining up to bribe. What's so innovative about that? --- Rather than improving efficiency, it's more like switching to a more covert way of harvesting profits. --- Wow, from spending money to buy users to spending money to buy voting rights, cycling over and over again. --- I just want to know how long this wave can last. What happens when the project sponsors all come in to bribe? --- The analogy of a toll booth is perfect. lisUSD holders now survive by arbitraging the spread. --- Governance tokens have become a marketplace for voting rights. Isn't this still a zero-sum game? --- It's interesting, but I always feel that retail investors end up losing in the end.

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WalletDivorcer

· 12h ago

Ha, isn't this just a new way to turn governance into a way to cut leeks? Really? Now just holding coins can earn you passive income? Feels like another prelude to a crash. Bribery markets... sounds just like centralized exchanges, where's the original intention of Web3? How long can this logic cycle? Eventually, it will lead to a dump. But on the other hand, at least it's more honest than fake airdrops before, haha. It's interesting, finally the project teams are spending money to please coin holders. This thing is essentially a game of capital, and us small retail investors will still end up getting cut.

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OnchainHolmes

· 12h ago

Oh wow, this is basically "vote buying" in disguise, sounds pretty outrageous Bribery market? Basically, whoever has more money gets to decide veLISTA has become a printing machine, I like this logic The problem is, how long can this last? It will eventually cause trouble Just throw money at me, no need to discuss anything else This mechanism seems more direct and brutal than airdrops, but will it be unpredictable? Liquidity wars have evolved into bribery wars, speechless Collecting tolls? Then I should stock up on LISTA and test the waters DeFi is like this, heroes today, dogs tomorrow Feels like shifting the risk, who knows what will happen

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BlockchainBrokenPromise

· 12h ago

Basically, it's the same old trick with a new disguise. In the past, they used advertising to fleece retail investors; now they use voting rights. I just want to know what retail investors can still get out of it.

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ThesisInvestor

· 12h ago

Interesting, isn't it? Essentially just selling local liquidity for a cut? --- Bribery markets sound grand, but honestly it's just the same old rent-seeking behavior of power. --- veLISTA holders suddenly become big landlords, and all ecological traffic has to pay taxes to us. This game rule change is brilliant. --- The project team has gone from beggars to the main party, reverse harvesting, quite interesting. --- The question is, how long can this logic last? Once LISTA liquidity dries up, it's over. --- So holding tokens now means holding the right to charge fees? I need to reassess the value of this thing. --- From spending on advertising to buying voting rights, the essence of DeFi innovation is just finding new ways to make money. --- I'm a bit worried that this model might attract too many greedy project teams, turning the ecosystem into a marketplace. --- Wait, how will those new projects without money for bribes survive? It seems it will further exacerbate centralization. --- Interesting, interesting. LISTA has become a rent-seeking gate, and holders have turned into landlords.

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DeFi project marketing logic is undergoing a dramatic change.

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GateFun马勒戈币Surges1251.09%

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Your First Words Matter! Share your first post on and split $10,000 in New Year rewards. Post with #My2026FirstPost to share your New Year wish 2026U Position Voucher, Gate New Year boxes, F1 Red Bull merch await you! Ends on Jan 15, 2026, 16:00 UTC 2026 starts with this post!

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