Cardano Shifts Development Control to Community, Puts $38.9 Million Roadmap to Vote

Cardano is shifting development control to its community and putting a $38.9 million roadmap budget to a vote.

Blocknews reported on April 23 that Input Output Global, or IOG, had unveiled nine funding proposals covering development plans through 2030 and requested a total of $38.9 million. The amount is smaller than a year earlier, a reduction that underscores the network’s push for self-sustainability.

The centerpiece is the Ouroboros Leios protocol upgrade. It would separate transaction validation from block production to improve parallel-processing efficiency. The goal is to raise throughput from about 10 to 15 transactions per second now to several hundred, with a maximum of about 1,000.

IOG is directing much of the Leios budget to node-performance upgrades, monitoring systems and security enhancements. It plans to launch a testnet in June and roll out the upgrade on mainnet within the year.

Other key projects include Babel Fees, which would allow users to pay fees in assets other than ADA; UTXO HD, aimed at supporting network expansion; and Pogun, a bridge and lending structure intended to bring Bitcoin liquidity into the ecosystem.

Cardano is also broadening its ecosystem. It recently improved smart-contract efficiency through the Van Rossum hard fork and launched Midnight, a privacy-focused sidechain. It has also introduced a Visa card that supports ADA payments through EMURGO and Wirex.

On-chain metrics, however, remain mixed. Large-wallet holdings are increasing, while total value locked in decentralized finance remains below Ethereum and Solana.

The proposal will be decided in a community vote running through May 24. The outcome will test whether a community-led governance structure can work in practice without a founder at the center, and could shape Cardano’s development path and governance model.