Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) - decentralized organizations with no central authority that use smart contracts and blockchain to make decisions - have emerged as an interesting transformative paradigm in our informational age.
Since my active involvement in the cryptocurrency world in 2017, DAO is one of the major topics which is interesting for me. I'm an active participant of the Cardano ecosystem. I have participated in Project Catalyst since Fund1. Also I’m DREP (Delegated Representative) - I vote on Cardano governance decisions. Even in the hard times which we have now (war, danger, lack of electricity and heat) I maintain my long-term interest in the evolution of DAOs in the blockchain industry.
Aragon DAO, established in 2017, has evolved into a leading modular platform for on-chain organizations, built primarily on Ethereum with multi-chain extensions. As of early 2026, Aragon supports over 10,000 launched projects governing more than $35 billion in assets, with integrations across protocols like Curve, Lido, Polygon, Taiko, and Yield Basis. This research paper provides a detailed examination of Aragon's technical architecture (Aragon OSx framework with plugin composability and upgradeability), ecosystem dynamics (including DAOs, users, governed assets, and integrations), strategic goals and roadmap (DAOs 2.0 focusing on value accrual, automation, privacy, and investable tokens), and governance mechanics (customizable token-weighted voting with advanced plugins for quadratic, conviction, escrow, and privacy features). Special emphasis is placed on recent 2025–2026 advancements, such as the Value Accrual Toolkit (March 2025) for veLockers and gauges, Capital Distributor (September 2025) for automated incentives, MACI integration (August 2025) for anti-collusion voting, Enclave verifiable secret ballots (November 2025) for confidentiality, BORGs (September 2025) for legal liability wrappers, Guardians V2 (September 2025) for veto oversight, LockToVote upgrades (November 2025) for escrow mechanics, Ownership Token Index (December 2025) for verifiable standards, and rule-based automation from the "Beyond Proposals" series (January 2026) to minimize voter fatigue. The main inquiry explores how Aragon functions as a DAO framework, its differences from Cardano's Project Catalyst—a stake-weighted innovation fund that has processed over 11,000 proposals, funded more than 2,200 projects, and facilitated millions of votes as of 2026—and the respective pros and cons. Drawing from official sources, web analyses, and 2026 ecosystem metrics, the paper argues that Aragon's modularity offers unparalleled customization for protocol-specific tokenomics and ownership, while Catalyst excels in accessibility and large-scale community participation. Pros for Aragon include scalability and innovation, with cons such as complexity and turnout issues; Catalyst's strengths lie in inclusivity and impact, with drawbacks like plutocracy and proposal spam. Implications for hybrid models and future DAO evolution are discussed, informed by rigorous methodologies akin to IOHK's protocol analyses.
Introduction
The advent of blockchain technology has catalyzed innovations in organizational structures, with DAOs representing a shift from centralized hierarchies to code-enforced, community-driven entities. As articulated in foundational works on Ethereum, DAOs leverage smart contracts to automate governance, reducing reliance on intermediaries and enhancing transparency. Aragon DAO, launched in 2017, has positioned itself as a pivotal infrastructure for DAO creation and management, evolving from a simple deployment tool to a sophisticated framework supporting modular governance and value accrual mechanisms. This evolution is evident in its response to early challenges, such as the 2016 DAO hack on Ethereum, which underscored vulnerabilities in smart contract design. Aragon's initial focus on no-code tools democratized access, but by 2026, it has refined its approach to address real-world issues like voter apathy, proposal overload, and token value erosion.
In 2026, Aragon stands as a mature platform, powering over 10,000 projects with $35 billion in governed assets, as per official metrics. Its modular architecture, Aragon OSx, enables DAOs to upgrade without full redeployments, ensuring longevity in a dynamic blockchain landscape. The platform's multi-chain compatibility, including Ethereum, Polygon, Taiko, and others, mitigates scalability issues, while recent innovations like the Value Accrual Toolkit emphasize economic alignment. This paper analyzes Aragon's technical characteristics, ecosystem, goals, and governance mechanics, with a special focus on its functioning as a DAO framework. A comparative evaluation with Cardano's Project Catalyst—a decentralized innovation fund that has distributed millions of ADA across thousands of projects—highlights key differences, pros, and cons. Catalyst, as of 2026, has processed over 11,000 proposals, funded more than 2,200 projects, and engaged millions of votes, making it a benchmark for large-scale community funding.
The analysis is grounded in primary sources from Aragon's documentation and blog (2025–2026 entries on DAOs 2.0, value accrual, and automation), supplemented by web analyses and ecosystem metrics. It addresses the main question: how does Aragon function, how does it differ from Catalyst, and what are its pros and cons? By drawing from IOHK-inspired methodologies, including protocol formalizations and incentive analyses, the paper contributes to understanding decentralized coordination in blockchain ecosystems. The discussion extends to implications for future hybrid models, where Aragon's modularity could complement Catalyst's participation scale.
Read full research paper here: https://cryptotexty.io/aragon-dao/
More about Aragon: https://www.aragon.org/
More about Project Catalyst: https://projectcatalyst.io/