Compound votes on treasury delays and veto powers as DeFi governance strains

Compound’s $COMP holders are voting on Proposal 612, which would extend treasury withdrawal delays from two days to ten and give the protocol’s Governor Timelock power to cancel treasury transactions before they execute. The voting opened on Sunday and will close on Wednesday (October 7), according to the proposal page.

Though the changes may seem technical in nature, the major concern is actually who would take charge of Compound’s treasury. The voting also leads to a much bigger question in DeFi: How much control can be added to a protocol before the better protection begins to indicate centralization?

What Proposal 612 changes

Proposal 612, submitted by delegate Ugur Mersin on October 2, increases the Treasury Escrow withdrawal cooldown and the minimum delay of the Treasury Timelock from 2 to 10 days. Furthermore, it establishes the period for Escrow expiration at 17 days, which means that there is a 7-day withdrawal period after the cooldown.