The WalletConnect Council: Driving an Open, User-Owned Onchain Future
The next phase of governance for the WalletConnect Network has officially begun.
As onchain adoption accelerates, decisions about infrastructure, standards, and UX can no longer sit in silos. Builders, users, wallets, and apps need a shared forum to align around what matters and ship faster together.
That’s why the WalletConnect Foundation is introducing the WalletConnect Council.
The council brings together diverse technical and ecosystem voices to influence the Network roadmap, shape community priorities, and support the transition to decentralized decision-making. It’s one more step toward a future where the onchain internet is open, trusted, and truly owned by its users.
1. Purpose & Mission
The WalletConnect Council is an adaptation of the originally proposed structure for governance in the WalletConnect whitepaper, where instead of forming two separate councils (Technical Council and Partnerships Council) it is a joint council of participants engaging in discussions related to the WalletConnect Network roadmap.
The WalletConnect Council will be focused on both technical and non-technical topics and it will initially include two committees (Technical Committee and Ecosystem Committee) that will specialize in different topics.
The Technical committee will be focused on technology, development and research of the WalletConnect Network.
The Ecosystem committee will be focused on community, ecosystem and growth of the WalletConnect Network.
Initially, decision-making authority rests with the Foundation and node operators although over the next 24 months, decision making will transition to the WalletConnect Council.
The WalletConnect Council’s mission is to represent a diverse set of perspectives, providing valuable insights into the decentralized evolution of the WalletConnect Network.
2. Objectives
Engage Diverse Stakeholders: Involve parties related to the Network, such as users, apps, wallets, SDKs, node operators and other community members, in early decision-making for network upgrades and other related ecosystem strategy.
Influence Technical & Ecosystem Roadmap: Provide input on proposals and developments that impact the broader ecosystem.
Support Transparent Decision-Making: Facilitate a clear process for discussions and updates, ensuring all relevant parties are informed.
3. Scope & Boundaries
In Scope:
Provide advisory input on the ecosystem strategy and technical roadmap.
Review project briefs, proposals, partnerships, and technical specifications.
Attend and contribute to monthly discussions on current topics, status updates, and potential issues raised by partners.
Out of Scope:
Final decision-making authority, which initially remains with the Foundation and node operators.
4. Roles & Responsibilities
Each WalletConnect Council member will initially be elected by the Foundation and eventually this election will be transitioned to the token holders.
The WalletConnect Council should be comprised of:
- Core Developers: Provide technical insights and expertise on the WalletConnect core.
- Foundation Members: Represent the Foundation’s objectives and ensure alignment with long-term strategy.
- Community Members: Represent the Ecosystem broader’s interest and requirements for onchain UX.
- Blockchain Developers: Contribute knowledge on blockchain-specific challenges and innovations.
- Wallet Developers: Offer feedback on wallet integration and potential implications of proposed changes.
- Enterprise Projects: Bring perspectives on enterprise projects use-cases and requirements.
- App & SDK Developers: Represent application developers needs and user experience considerations.
- Node Operators: Ensure that technical decisions align with operational feasibility and node stability.
5. Membership & Renewal
WalletConnect Council members will be initially selected by the Foundation and in the near-future they will be voted by the Community to elect who joins or stays.
The membership has a 12 month duration and it can be renewed every year with the Foundation’s review and approval around Q4 to set expectations for the following year.
All members will be evaluated and selected to be members of the WalletConnect Council based on either their individual contributions or as representatives to mission-critical partners.
6. Decision-Making Process
Initially the WalletConnect Council provides guidance and diverse perspectives, final decisions remain with the Foundation and the node operators. WalletConnect Council members discuss and provide input, but do not hold voting or final say in decisions.
In the future, within 24 months, the decision making powers will transition to the WalletConnect Council.
7. Communication & Collaboration Norms
Communication Channels: Discussions will be held asynchronously via a GitHub repository tracking all relevant proposals and developments.
Meetings: Monthly virtual meetings where all members attend to discuss proposals, review project status, and address any open issues. Quarterly meetings for the whole council and monthly meetings for the committees.
8. Expectations & Outputs
The WalletConnect Council charter will have different expectations at different levels:
- Council
- Committee
- Contributor
The WalletConnect Council is expected to actively participate at least once a month to set proposals forward for both the community and the WalletConnect Network. These proposals should cover both technical and non-technical aspects to grow and improve the ecosystem.
The Technical Committee is expected to set clear guidelines and roadmap for the next 12 months of the Network research and development in order to fulfill its goals as set per the whitepaper but also according to the community’s sentiment.
The Ecosystem Committee is expected to propose and/or create different community initiatives and partnerships that would broaden the Network’s outreach but also to strengthen the collaboration between existing partners in the ecosystem.
Each WalletConnect Council member is also responsible as a Contributor to drive community engagement within the governance platforms and also externally within different social media platforms to onboard new community members and also educate community members to engage and participate in the Network’s governance and roadmap.
Looking Ahead
The WalletConnect Council is more than a governance group. It’s a mechanism for real decentralization, real collaboration, and real progress. As the Network shifts toward community ownership, this Council will help ensure that every technical decision and every ecosystem milestone reflects the values of the people building and using the onchain internet.
Want to shape what’s next? Stake WCT to vote.