Welcome to the Cardano Community Digest!
Published by the Cardano Foundation Community Team every two weeks, this Digest will provide you with news, updates and events about the project and ecosystem!
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In this edition of the Community Digest, we cover the community’s approval of Input Output Engineering’s protocol development roadmap, marking the first time core funding has been allocated through the Cardano treasury. The roadmap outlines upgrades across scalability, interoperability, and developer experience.
Also featured are the latest updates from CNCLI v6.6.0 and insights from SPO Table Talk #3 on CIP-50 and its implications for pledge leverage. Catalyst Fund14 is now open for proposal submissions through August 18.
The Developer Spotlight highlights Masumi Network’s work on AI agent infrastructure built on Cardano. IOG shares a new toolset aimed at improving smart contract security across the development lifecycle. The Cardano Foundation’s Q2 Report outlines developments in governance, adoption, and community engagement.
Additionally, we’d like to inform you that cardano.org/news serves as a central hub, routing ecosystem information directly to you. Community members can contribute by providing their own updates. For more information on how to contribute, visit cardano.org/docs
Cardano Community Approves Core Development Funding
On August 2nd, the Cardano community approved the Input Output Engineering (IOE) roadmap funding proposal with a 73.93% majority, marking the first time that core protocol development will be funded directly through the Cardano treasury.
This decision reflects a major milestone in decentralized governance and a shared vision for Cardano’s future. The roadmap, which outlines advancements across scalability, developer experience, and interoperability, was shaped in alignment with community priorities.
Highlights include:
- Ouroboros Leios for improved throughput
- Hydra for fast, low-cost transactions
- Mithril enhancements for faster bootstrapping
- Nested Transactions to enable advanced smart contract use cases
- Project Acropolis, a modular re-architecture of the Cardano node
- Performance optimizations for lower costs and better user experience
Oversight will be handled by Intersect, ensuring milestone-based delivery and full transparency. Monthly reports, public engineering timesheets, and quarterly budget updates are planned to keep the community informed.
Learn more about the approved roadmap and what it means for Cardano: Read here
CNCLI v6.6.0 has been released.
CNCLI v6.6.0 has been released with support for cardano-node 10.5.1. This update replaces the VRF code used for leader calculations, migrating from pallas-crypto to amaru-ouroboros::vrf by Amaru.
It also updates several dependencies, including bincode (v1 to v2), redb, rusqlite, and others.
For more information, visit: Release v6.6.0 · cardano-community/cncli · GitHub
SPO Table Talk #3 on CIP-50: Understanding the Impact of Pledge Leverage
On July 28, the Cardano Community YouTube and X channels hosted the third edition of SPO Table Talk, centered on: Understanding the Impact of Pledge Leverage (CIP-50).
This proposal introduces a new parameter (L) to the Reward Sharing Scheme, aiming to discourage excessive leverage by reducing rewards for stake pools whose delegated stake significantly exceeds their pledge. The conversation explored how this change could encourage stronger operator commitment, raise the total network pledge, and meaningfully improve decentralization through a higher Nakamoto coefficient.
The discussion also addressed why CIP-50 could become the first Governance Action involving Protocol Parameter Changes that SPOs will be asked to vote on. Such a public debate is essential so SPOs can fully understand what they are being asked to vote on.
A thank you to those who joined the table, coined the SPO Table Talk format, and shared their insights with the wider Cardano community:
- Paul, SPO & host of Cardano with Paul
- Kevin Hammond, Chair of the Technical Steering Committee
- Markus Gufler, Cardano Foundation
- Cerkoryn & EarnCoinPool, CIP-50 Authors & DReps
Watch the full episode here:
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGymb5wCX8Y
X – https://x.com/Cardano/status/1949847324408398320
Developer Spotlight: Masumi Network
In this Developer Spotlight, we catch up with Kristian Portz, co-founder of Masumi Network, to explore how they’re building the foundation for AI agents to work together, make decisions, and even pay each other, and without human input.
Masumi is built on Cardano and designed to be secure, transparent, and fully compliant with European regulations, which makes it especially attractive for enterprise use. Kristian takes us through the journey of how the idea came together, the real-world problems it’s solving, and what sets Masumi apart. From finance to healthcare, the use cases are already taking shape. If you’re curious about how AI and blockchain are starting to converge, you won’t want to miss this one. Read the full interview here.
Catalyst Fund 14 Now Open: Submit Your Ideas by Aug 18
Project Catalyst recently announced the launch of Fund14, with proposal submissions open until August 18, 2025, at 6:00 AM UTC.
Fund14 provides an opportunity for contributors to submit ideas that address ecosystem needs or explore new use cases. Key details—including the submission process, app guidance, and important dates for proposers, community reviewers, and voters—are outlined on the Fund14 Hub. Clearing the Catalyst app cache is recommended to ensure the most recent version is in use.
Community reviewers can also register to help assess proposals and take part in funding decisions. For the full overview and timeline breakdown, visit: forum.cardano.org/t/catalyst-fund14-is-open-submit-your-ideas-by-aug-18/147903.
IOG: Democratizing security in the Cardano ecosystem: a complete development lifecycle
IOG’s latest blogpost outlines an important step toward enhancing smart contract security in the Cardano ecosystem. According to the blog, they are developing a suite of integrated tools to support developers throughout the full development lifecycle, from coding and testing to deployment and monitoring.
These tools combine formal verification, property-based testing, static analysis, and transaction monitoring, with AI integrated to simplify complex security tasks and increase accessibility. The blog also emphasizes practical usability and cross-ecosystem interoperability, including future compatibility with Hydra and Bitcoin.
Read the full blog: https://iohk.io/en/blog/posts/2025/07/30/democratizing-security-in-the-cardano-ecosystem-a-complete-development-lifecycle/
Cardano Foundation: Q2 2025 Report
On July 25 the Cardano Foundation released its Q2 2025 Report, spotlighting progress across governance, adoption, technology, and community. Highlights include the launch of Veridian, a privacy-focused identity platform, and Originate, a traceability tool piloted with Georgian wine.
The Foundation supported 39 treasury proposals, introduced new tools for DReps and SPOs, and further improved its staking rewards calculator. Developer activity grew through hackathons, open-source tooling, and increased Aiken adoption. Community engagement remained strong with support for Azteca 2025, the Cardano Berlin Hackathon, and ongoing Roundtable Talks including the SPO Table Talk series.
The Ambassador Program continued expanding its global reach. Cardano Summit 2025 was confirmed for Berlin, alongside the launch of the Techstars + Cardano Founder Catalyst program. The full Q2 2025 report can be read here.
Cardano Reddit Top 8 Most Engaged Topics
Below are the most engaging topics on Reddit
- The future is Cardano.
- 5 Years Shelley
- Interview with Charles Hoskinson on Empire
- First CNT to be listed on Crypto.com: SNEK
- Why is Cardano so 50/50?
- Off-Chain Restart?! --Cannot Happen On Cardano!
- Cardano Foundation Votes on All 39 Treasury Withdrawal Governance Actions
- Wouldn’t the Cardano ecosystem be the most secure place for this?
Cardano Forum Top 9 Referred Topics
Topics that have received the most clicks from external sources. (last 10 Days)
- Upcoming Leios Bandwidth and Hosting Survey for Cardano SPOs – Launching July 31 at SPO Monthly Call
- [CF-GA-22-60-RATIONALE] Aggregate Rationale for 39 Treasury Withdrawals to Execute the “Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Budget - 275M ada Administered by Intersect”
- Feasibility of Trustless Time-Lock Contracts on Cardano Using Marlowe?
- The Independent, The Web3 Scene in Vietnam, and Cardano
- Withdraw ₳4,000,000 for Expanding Stablecoin / Cardano Native Asset Support / Fiat Ramps - Yay or Nay?
- Africa Townhall: Cardano Governance – The ‘What IFs’ and the ‘Why NOTs’
- Is Power in Cardano’s Governance Already Getting Too Concentrated?
카르다노 개발자 필수 도구, Tool Compas 프로젝트- Couple questions about staking with the VESPR wallet
Upcoming Community Events
- 08-05 Intersect MCC Meeting: Join in to stay up to date with Intersect’s MCC progression. Feel free to bring questions you have and connect with us on Discord. - link
- 08-07 William Ryan: On Cardano Over Coffee: Cardano Twitter Space, Guest and talk about all things Cardano. - link
- 08-06 to 10 Rare Evo 2025: takes place August 6–10, bringing together multi-chain projects, communities, and Web3 enthusiasts. - link
For an overview of weekly events, visit the Cardano Calendar
Many thanks and greetings from the Community Team!