DeFi & DAO

Secure your DAO/DeFi project with a legal wrapper

Legal structure, regulatory clarity and governance design for decentralized protocols and autonomous organizations.

Switzerland's largest law firm focused on tech companies
30+ legal experts — crypto, DeFi and DAO advisory
Proven track record in DeFi protocol and DAO structuring
Transparent pricing — legal wrapper from CHF 5'500 (excl. VAT; plus ~CHF 500–2'000 notary/registry)
Regulatory guidance across CH, DE, the EU & the US
Trusted by 1000+ clients
Trusted by 1'500+ tech companies & investors
Stephan D. Meyer
"Building in DeFi or launching a DAO? We've structured leading Layer 1 ecosystems, DeFi protocols and DAOs — book a call with me and my team."

Stephan D. Meyer · Partner @ LEXR  ·  Book your free call →

Trusted by leading crypto and DeFi projects

Robert Lauko
LEXR provided us excellent services at very affordable costs and was always quick to react to our special wishes and change requests.
Robert Lauko
CEO & Founder, Liquity
Julian Liniger
I highly appreciate our partnership and collaboration with the LEXR team. They have supported us for the majority of our 5-year journey so far, growing from a crappy, early stage startup to a shiny, quickly expanding scaleup. Many topics around Regulation, Legal, Compliance, and Fundraising were far away from straight-forward and required an immense level of pragmatism and responsivity, which we were always able to count on. I can only recommend LEXR, especially for early stage, VC-backed startups in dynamic environments!
Julian Liniger
Co-Founder & CEO, Relai
Aurelio Perucca
From complex regulatory questions to scaling our business internationally, I know the experts at LEXR have my back – they know me, they know my business, and they know the law.
Aurelio Perucca
Co-Founder & CEO, Splintinvest

How we solve your challenges

From legal wrapper to token assessment, governance design and DAO acquisitions — the full stack, in one team.

We structure the appropriate legal entity — Swiss association, foundation, GmbH or AG — around your DAO or DeFi protocol. The wrapper protects contributors and token holders, limits liability and gives your project the legal standing it needs to operate, raise funds and contract with service providers.

We analyse your protocol against Swiss FINMA guidelines, German BaFin requirements and the EU's MiCA framework. You receive a clear, actionable assessment of whether your token or protocol triggers licensing requirements — and a roadmap for staying compliant as regulation evolves.

We advise on the optimal token model — utility, payment or asset token — and help you design governance mechanics that are legally robust. Our team has structured leading Layer 1 and Layer 2 ecosystems, DAOs, DeFi protocols and stablecoin projects.

We draft the contracts that tie your DAO together: contributor agreements, grant frameworks, service agreements with developers and auditors, and IP assignment arrangements. Every document is tailored to decentralized structures and reviewed for enforceability.

As the web3 ecosystem matures, M&A between protocols is becoming common. We advise on token-swap mergers, protocol acquisitions and joint ventures — from structuring the deal through to execution.

The LEXR approach

How we deliver DeFi & DAO, AI-amplified

Step 01

Matter in

Brief us in plain language — we scope it and route it to the right specialist.

Intake < 4h
Step 02 AI · Privileged

AI does the heavy lifting

Our own AI stack drafts, reviews and cross-checks — inside privilege.

60% fewer draft cycles
Step 03

Senior lawyer signs off

The specialist who built the strategy reviews and signs every output.

Christian Meisser Stephan D. Meyer Silvan Amberg
Step 04

Output delivered

On scope, on the quoted price — delivered into your workflow.

Scope and price are fixed in writing before we start — AI absorbs the lift, not your budget.

Our expert DeFi & DAO services

One team across the full lifecycle — from first workshop to legal wrapper, token assessment and beyond.

Legal wrapper for DAO / DeFiToken assessment (FINMA / MiCA)DAO governance designContributor & grant agreementsDeFi protocol legal auditToken issuance structuringSAFT agreementsDeFi / DAO acquisitionsStablecoin and RWA tokenization

Why LEXR

01

Deep DeFi and DAO expertise

We have structured leading Layer 1 and Layer 2 ecosystems, DAOs, DeFi protocols, stablecoins, NFT projects and RWA tokenizations. Our team has been at the intersection of Swiss financial-market law and blockchain since the earliest days of the industry.

02

Regulatory clarity across CH, EU and US

Switzerland, Germany, the EU (MiCA) and the US all apply different rules to DeFi and DAOs. We give you one integrated view across all relevant jurisdictions — so you can build confidently without being blindsided by a regulator.

03

Pragmatic, builder-friendly advice

We understand how decentralized systems work — technically and legally. Our advice is fast, practical and tailored to the realities of building in web3, not copy-pasted from a traditional corporate playbook.

DeFi & DAO FAQ

The questions founders and protocol builders ask us most before getting started.

In most jurisdictions, an unincorporated DAO exposes its contributors to unlimited personal liability. A Swiss legal wrapper — typically an association, foundation or AG — limits that liability, gives the project legal standing to open bank accounts and enter contracts, and provides a clear governance structure that regulators can engage with.

It depends on your governance model, token structure and commercial activity. A Swiss association works well for open-source, community-governed protocols. A foundation suits projects that need to steward a treasury independently. An AG or GmbH makes sense when commercial activity or fundraising is central. We assess your specific setup and recommend the right structure.

FINMA classifies tokens as payment tokens, utility tokens or asset tokens (securities). Only asset tokens and some hybrid tokens trigger full securities-law obligations. We run a FINMA token assessment on your project and give you a written legal opinion you can share with exchanges, banks and investors.

MiCA applies across the EU from 2024 and covers crypto-asset service providers and issuers of asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens. Fully decentralized protocols without an issuer are largely outside its scope today — but the line is not always clear. We map your project against MiCA and advise on the compliance steps needed to operate in EU markets.

Yes. We have structured DeFi acquisitions and token-swap mergers — including the Enzyme/MYSO Finance merger. We advise on deal structure, governance approvals, token mechanics, contributor agreements and the legal documentation needed to close the transaction.

A standard Swiss association wrapper can be set up in a matter of weeks once we have your project details. More complex structures — foundations, tokenized share companies — take longer and depend on notarization and registry timelines. We scope the timeline precisely on your free introductory call.

Let's get started

Book your free call and become one of our 1'000+ happy clients.

Dive deeper into the world of DeFi & DAO

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