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Paladin Vote Review 2026: Renting Voting Power for Gauge Incentives

Paladin Vote is an Ethereum protocol that lets holders of governance tokens lend their voting power and lets others borrow it, mainly to direct gauge incentives. It is a niche tool with a very small TVL, so it suits specialists more than general DeFi users.

Ethereum

By the DappsAtlas editorial team · Updated Nov 5, 2026

DappsAtlas score

5.4/10

Mixed

Visit Paladin Vote

Our verdict on Paladin Vote

5.4/10

Paladin Vote is a niche Ethereum protocol for lending and borrowing governance voting power, mainly useful for people active in Curve, Balancer or Bunni gauge voting. Its strengths are a clear purpose, a non-custodial design and two listed audits. The main caveat is size: TVL of roughly $40,000 and a downward trend suggest limited demand, and fees are not published. Treat it as a specialist tool and size positions accordingly.

Score breakdown

How Paladin Vote scores

Security: 5.5/10
Ease of use: 5.5/10
Fees: n/a
Features: 5.5/10

Scores run from 0 to 10 and are based only on facts we could verify. Where information was missing we mark the score n/a rather than guess.

What is Paladin Vote?

Paladin Vote is a decentralized, non-custodial lending protocol with an unusual asset: voting power. Instead of lending stablecoins or ETH, users loan the governance voting power of their tokens, or borrow some from others.

It runs on Ethereum and has its own token, PAL. The homepage pitches it as a way to boost liquidity and earn more from a vote, with fixed incentives for gauge votes, and says it is compatible with Curve, Balancer and Bunni.

Third-party sources report a seed round of about $2.5 million in September 2021 and a Paris base. Those details come from outside sources, not from the project. Current usage is small: total value locked is around $40,000 and has been trending down.

How Paladin Vote works

Many DeFi protocols, including Curve and Balancer, let holders of a governance token lock it to get voting power. That voting power decides where token rewards, called gauge emissions, are sent. Projects that want deeper liquidity are willing to pay for those votes.

Paladin Vote acts as a market for that power. Holders deposit governance tokens or derivatives that grant votes, and in return they earn yield. Borrowers pay to use those votes without buying and locking the tokens themselves. Because it is non-custodial, the terms are enforced by smart contracts rather than by an intermediary.

The homepage describes the aim as boosting liquidity and giving voters certainty, with fixed incentives for gauge votes.

6 features

Key features

Voting power lending

Token holders can loan out the voting power of their governance tokens instead of using it themselves, and earn yield from borrowers.

Voting power borrowing

Borrowers can rent voting power, typically to steer gauge emissions toward the pools they care about.

Fixed gauge incentives

The homepage promotes fixed incentives for gauge votes, aimed at giving voters more certainty over what they earn.

Curve, Balancer, Bunni support

The protocol states compatibility with Curve, Balancer and Bunni, the gauge-voting systems where borrowed votes are most relevant.

Non-custodial design

Users are described as keeping control of their tokens through smart contracts rather than handing them to a company.

Listed audits

Two audits are listed for the protocol, which gives some external review of the contracts.

Pros and cons

What we like

Addresses a specific need: monetizing or buying governance voting power in gauge-based DeFi systems.
Non-custodial design means no company holds user funds.
Two audits are listed for the protocol.
Stated compatibility with Curve, Balancer and Bunni covers major gauge-voting ecosystems.
Fixed incentives for gauge votes can give voters more predictable returns.

Watch out for

Total value locked is only around $40,000 and has been falling, which points to little current usage.
Demand depends on gauge-based systems such as Curve and Balancer, so the market is narrow.
Smart-contract risk applies, and two listed audits do not remove it.
Fee levels and rate mechanics are not stated in the material available, so costs are hard to judge up front.
The company profile is thin on team and operations detail, and the 2021 seed funding is reported by third-party sources only.

Paladin Vote fees

The material available does not publish a fee schedule, protocol cut or fixed rate for Paladin Vote. Costs for borrowers and the share of yield passed to lenders are likely set in the protocol's contracts and shown in its app and documentation.

On top of any protocol fees, users pay Ethereum gas for every deposit, borrow and withdrawal. Check the live interface for current terms before committing funds.

Is Paladin Vote safe?

Two audits are listed for the protocol, but audit reports and scope are not covered in the material available. Audits reduce risk without removing it, and any smart-contract protocol can have bugs. Users also carry the risk of the underlying governance tokens and the protocols they vote in.

TVL is small and has been declining, which can mean thin liquidity and slower development or support. The protocol does not state a regulatory status. Treat it as experimental DeFi, use a dedicated wallet, and verify the official site before connecting.

6 steps

How to get started with Paladin Vote

1
Read the project's documentation to understand how lending and borrowing voting power work, and which tokens are supported.
2
Confirm you are using the official site and not a lookalike, since governance protocols attract phishing.
3
Connect an Ethereum wallet and keep enough ETH for gas.
4
Decide on a role: lender (deposit a voting-power token to earn yield) or borrower (pay for votes to direct gauge incentives).
5
Start with a small amount and review the rates and terms the interface shows before confirming.
6
Track your position and withdraw or repay according to the terms.

Open Paladin Vote

Who Paladin Vote is for

Paladin Vote suits experienced DeFi users who already hold vote-escrowed governance tokens and want yield from their votes, and protocols or liquidity providers who want to buy votes to steer gauge emissions. It is not a good fit for beginners or anyone looking for a simple lending market with deep liquidity.

Paladin Vote FAQs

What is Paladin Vote?

Paladin Vote is a decentralized, non-custodial protocol on Ethereum. It lets holders of governance tokens loan out the voting power of those tokens, and lets others borrow voting power. Its homepage highlights fixed incentives for gauge votes.

How do you earn with Paladin Vote?

Lenders deposit governance tokens or derivatives that carry voting power and earn yield in return. Borrowers pay for temporary access to that voting power. The yield comes from what borrowers pay, not from a fixed rate set by the lender.

Which ecosystems does Paladin Vote work with?

The homepage says it is compatible with Curve, Balancer and Bunni. These systems use gauge votes to decide where token emissions go, which is where borrowed voting power is most useful.

Does Paladin Vote have a token?

Paladin's own PAL token exists on Ethereum. How it is used within the protocol is not covered in the material available, so check the project's documentation before buying or staking it.

Is Paladin Vote safe?

No protocol is risk-free. Two audits are listed, which is a positive sign, but audits do not rule out bugs. The protocol's TVL is also small, which can mean thin liquidity and limited demand. Only commit funds you can afford to lose.

Who backs Paladin Vote?

Reports from third-party sites say the project raised about $2.5 million in a seed round in September 2021, led by Greenfield Capital. Those figures come from outside sources, and the project itself does not publish funding details.

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