Gate Live AMA Recap - Obol

Today, as the Web3 wave sweeping the world, Obol Collective is reshaping the underlying logic of blockchain infrastructure with revolutionary Distributed Validator Technology (DVT). As the most innovative decentralized operation network in the Ethereum ecosystem, Obol has gathered over 800 global node operators, safeguarding the security of over 1 billion USD worth of mainnet assets. We understand deeply that true decentralization requires not only technological breakthroughs but also ecosystem co-construction. This in-depth dialogue with the Gate community will take you to explore how OBOL, through governance, staking, and ecosystem incentives, becomes a key link connecting technological value and community consensus.

Project Introduction

The existence of Obol is to distribute, decentralize, and democratize the future digital infrastructure—from Ethereum to the entire Web3. As the foundation of Layer1 blockchain and decentralized infrastructure network, Obol Collective is the home to the world’s largest decentralized operational ecosystem. Today, over 800 decentralized operators globally run Obol Distributed Validators (DVs) to secure over $1 billion in mainnet assets.

Vision

Obol helps distribute, decentralize, and democratize the future digital infrastructure. It all starts with the Obol distributed validator, which helps stakers, institutions, and even home stakers achieve better performance, less risk, and more rewards. Also, bringing more through the Obol Stack.

Obol envisions a more decentralized world for finance, communication, and identity systems, where individuals have more power. This vision is primarily achieved by having a majority of Ethereum validators serve as Obol distributed validators, turning Ethereum into a global settlement layer and world computer, helping decentralize all other systems. Additionally, we believe the Obol Stack will further accelerate the development of these systems by simplifying the process of packaging, deploying, and running decentralized applications and infrastructure, empowering networks, builders, and operators to launch and develop decentralized systems without requiring permission from anyone.

Token Economics

The design of the OBOL token is aimed at maximizing utility and returning value to holders and the entire Obol Collective. Currently, there are four main use cases built into the token economics:

1. Governance: Proposals are voted on by representatives with OBOL token voting rights.
2. Trace funds: The project obtains OBOL based on the RAF round to drive greater ecosystem growth, in turn helping to enhance the value of the entire Obol ecosystem.
3. Staking: You can stake your OBOL tokens and receive stOBOL, allowing you to participate in governance while earning staking rewards.
4. Re-staking and DeFi: Obol has a large number of partners and occupies an important position in the industry. Over time, the OBOL token is intended to become the primary collateral asset within the partner ecosystem, further driving value accumulation and utility.

Value

The value of Obol Collective and the OBOL token is reflected in multiple aspects:

• Ecosystem: collaborating with dozens of protocols and institutions in the field
• Community: There are nearly a thousand independent mainnet node operators globally, making it the largest decentralized operational ecosystem.
• Technology: The distributed validator has protected over $1 billion worth of ETH on the mainnet, and the Obol team is about to launch its new flagship product Obol Stack, which will revolutionize the industry.

2025 Target

• Continuously adopt distributed validators with the goal of reaching a total lock-up value of 100 billion US dollars by the end of the year.
• The rapid adoption of Obol Stack, initially collaborating with a few key partners, has since expanded to more networks, builders, and operators within the industry.

Community Q&A

• Looking ahead, how does the $OBOL Collective envision the development of its decentralized validator ecosystem in terms of cross-chain interoperability, and how will the OBOL token facilitate seamless interactions between multiple networks and protocols?

Answer: OBOL is the foundation of the first layer of blockchain, helping them achieve decentralization through a diverse set of operators and distributed validators. Today, our total locked value is 1.5 billion USD, with the goal of reaching 10 billion USD by the end of the year. We may not necessarily focus on interoperability, but we help all blockchains actively move along the decentralization curve to gain more rewards, performance, and resilience.

• Compared to other DVT solutions like the SSV network, how does OBOL’s Distributed Validator Technology (DVT) specifically address the centralization risks in Ethereum staking and provide unique advantages in performance and adoption?

Answer: As a pure middleware solution, Obol Distributed Validator does not access private keys or run any other networks directly. We can integrate with any staking stack while maintaining its existing security. We also operate DVs independently, making them faster and more efficient than SSV.

• Looking ahead, what exciting innovations can users expect on the $OBOL roadmap? How do these innovations align with your long-term vision for the platform?

Answer: Of course! Increase the total value locked of Obol DVs to $10 billion to improve the performance of Ethereum and other PoS, providing better rewards and a more secure experience for stakers. Launch Obol Stack, a modular, plug-and-play decentralized application and infrastructure framework.

• As a DAO, how does OBOL empower token holders to govern the project’s development and decision-making process? Could you explain the on-chain voting mechanism driven by the OBOL token?

Answer: In Token House, OBOL token holders are responsible for submitting, reviewing, and voting on various Obol Collective governance proposals. Through our retroactive funding program (similar to Optimism), token holders can also reward public goods funding. Finally, $OBOL can be staked to earn further rewards for participating in governance!

• What risks or trade-offs may exist in programmatically distributing OBOL tokens through incentive programs?

Answer: We believe the incentive program is a net benefit because it benefits people who invest in the validators who work with us by receiving OBOL tokens. If you stake on Obol DVs with Lido, Etherfi, Swell, etc., you will receive more rewards!

Obol Future Outlook

As Obol’s decentralized validator moves towards the target of 100 billion TVL, and as Obol Stack empowers developers to build the next generation of decentralized applications, what we see is not just the growth of a technical protocol, but also a social experiment about digital sovereignty. As emphasized by the Obol team in the AMA: decentralization is not the end, but a process of continuous evolution.