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 bi-weekly Community Digest, we bring you the latest updates from the Cardano ecosystem. Highlights include the confirmation of “Cardano Buidler Fest” #2 in Da Nang, Vietnam, Andrew Westberg’s breakdown of the treasury tax rate proposal, and a deep dive into Cardano’s gov_action_deposit parameter by Lidination. Plus, get insights from the Cardano Builders Uruguay event, a new draft budget proposal for community feedback, and much more.
Additionally, we’d like to inform you that cardano .org/news serves as a central hub, routing key ecosystem information directly to you. Community members can also contribute to this initiative by providing their own updates, keeping the ecosystem informed and engaged. For more information on how to contribute, visit. cardano.org/docs
Cardano Buidler Fest #2 Confirmed: Save the Date – Da Nang, Vietnam, April 24–25, 2025
The highly anticipated “Cardano Buidler Fest #2” has finally been confirmed and will take place in Da Nang, Vietnam, on 24–25 April 2025. This was recently announced by organizing committee member and Cardano Ambassador @Hakochan via X. Check out the announcement here.
Registrations are now open, and all those interested in joining this special event can find more information on the official Buidler Fest website: https://buidlerfest.github.io. The agenda for Day One has already been revealed, so be sure to check it out!
@andrewwestberg Breaks Down Cardano’s Treasury Tax Rate Proposal
In case you missed it, Andrew Westberg’s latest Cardano: NerdOut video 
explores a proposal to reduce the treasury tax from 20% to 10%, discussing its impact on fund allocation and governance.
Adding to the discussion, Cardano YOD₳ provides a 
breakdown of how this change would affect staking rewards. Others in the community, including Chris, Hix, Hosky and Yuta, have also shared their perspectives, contributing to a broader conversation. These diverse viewpoints help support informed decision-making.
Cardano Wins of the Week: Updates from Lily (aka CardanoGirl)
In her latest Cardano Wins of the Week, Lily (aka CardanoGirl) shares updates on Grayscale’s Cardano ETF, the release of the Cardano 2025 Budget Drafts, and Charles Hoskinson’s update on a potential collaboration with Microsoft. These are just some of the latest developments she covers in her weekly recap. Be sure to check out the full update for all the details.
Cardano Builders Uruguay Event: A Recap by Mauro Andreoli
In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the Cardano Builders Uruguay event, co-organized by Cardano Ambassadors @MauroAndreoli and @Lucas_Mac. The event offered a great mix of presentations on Cardano’s technical strengths and engaging discussions about projects from Intersect MBO and the Cardano Foundation. Attendees also enjoyed a hands-on workshop and a friendly competition introducing Project Catalyst, with prizes for the winners. It all wrapped up with a sunset gathering in Punta del Este, where Vesper Wallet and Hosky made it easy for everyone to enjoy drinks via Cardano’s mainnet. For the full recap, read here.
Join the Discussion: Intersect Draft Budget Proposals Now Open for Community Feedback
Intersect MBO has recently released a series of draft budget proposals for Community review on the Cardano Forum. Among the proposals shared are the Cardano Research Budget Proposal, the Net Change Limit, and the Cardano Growth and Marketing Budget Proposal, with many other proposals addressing different aspects of ecosystem development. All ada holders are encouraged to participate in the discussion and provide feedback. Read more on the Cardano Forum.
Understanding Cardano’s gov_action_deposit by Lidonation
Lidonation’s recent blog dives into the gov_action_deposit parameter and its role in Cardano’s on-chain governance. Set at 100,000 ada, this deposit helps prevent spam proposals while ensuring the process stays meaningful. As discussions continue on whether the amount is too high or just right, the blog offers valuable insights into its purpose and how it fits into Cardano’s evolving governance system. For a deeper understanding of the background and intent behind this parameter, check out the full blog.
Monthly Cardano Scaling Update
The latest Cardano Scaling Report updates on 
Hydra and 
Mithril progress since December 2024, summarizing key discussions from the monthly review meeting.
The January 29, 2025 session covered Hydra’s custom ledger experiment, Mithril’s incremental Cardano DB certification, and more. For the full report and recording link, check the monthly update.
Essential Cardano Weekly Development Report as of 2025-02-14
The recent Essential Cardano Weekly Development Report highlights progress across core tech, scaling, governance, and education. The ledger team enhanced performance by reducing redundant computations and memory use. Mithril activated the ‘Pythagoras’ era on mainnet and advanced incremental certification, while Leios refined cryptography benchmarking and cost calculations. Budget approval socialization is underway. Fund13 onboarding is nearly complete, and Catalyst partnered with Cardano Spot to boost transparency. Read more in the Essential Cardano Development Report.
Cardanians Weekly Ecosystem Newsletter
In this week’s ecosystem newsletter, Cardanians cover Grayscale’s filing for a Cardano ada spot ETF with the SEC. There’s also a new Founder Residency Program with Draper University, designed to support Cardano startups with mentorship and funding. The team also shared updates about the Aiken smart contract language, which has released version 1.1.11 - an update that brings further improvements for developers. For this, and more, you can read the full newsletter here.
Cardano Foundation Research: Serial Monopoly on Blockchain with Quasi-patient Users
The Cardano Foundation recently shared its latest research, co-authored with Paolo Penna (IOG Research), which was accepted for the 29th International Financial Cryptography and Data Security 2025 conference. The paper, “Serial Monopoly on Blockchain with Quasi-Patient Users,” explores transaction fee mechanisms (TFMs) and introduces the concept of quasi-patient users, who balance cost and timely transaction inclusion. These findings help optimize fee structures to maintain validator incentives, which are key for Cardano’s scalability. For more details, check out the full blog.
State of Cardano Q4 2024 - Messari
The State of Cardano Q4 2024 by Messari has just been released, covering key developments in the network’s growth and performance. The report highlights the introduction of Ouroboros Peras, an upgrade designed to enhance scalability alongside Hydra and Mithril. It also details ada’s 127% market cap increase to $30.3 billion, a 254% rise in fees to $1.8 million, and a 94% jump in DeFi TVL to $448.9 million. Liqwid and Minswap led DeFi growth, while stablecoin adoption continued to rise. For a full breakdown, read the report: State of Cardano Q4 2024.
Cardano Forum’s DReps Introductions and Updates
Cardano is a decentralized blockchain platform where the community helps shape its future. In this governance model, DReps play a key role, casting votes on important governance matters. Any ada holder can register as a DRep or delegate their stake to one aligned with their interests.
Want to learn about the people representing your voice? Over the past week, more DReps continue to introduce themselves on the Cardano Forum. Explore their stories on the Cardano Forum and discover who aligns with your values.
Cardano Reddit Top 7 Most Engaged Topics
Below are the most engaging topics on Reddit
- Another Huge Win for Cardano—$ADA is Now on Solana!
- ADA Breaking news.
- Grayscale Just filed for A Cardano ETF! @ItsDave
- My Biggest Fear for Cardano/Crypto as a whole
- So no one’s talking about the upcoming event on February 17th when cardano launches the Apex fusion bridge to connect to ethereum?
- What are we building on Cardano?
- A simple, brief summary of what truly sets Cardano apart from other blockchains.
Cardano Forum Top 10 Referred Topics
Topics that have received the most clicks from external sources. (last 10 Days)
- The Libertarian Cardano Budget Proposal
- Cardano Innovation Budget Proposal
- Cardano Governance Support Budget Proposal
- Cardano Research Budget Proposal
- Net Change Limit
- Clarity on timelines
- Cardano Buidler Fest Asia 2025
- Overview - A Cardano Blockchain Ecosystem Budget
- [CF-GA08-RATIONALE] Cardano Constitution to Replace the Interim Constitution
- Cardano Growth and Marketing Budget Proposal
This Week’s Events
- 02-17 Cardano Governance Office Hour: Join Nicolas Cerny, Governance Lead at CF, live on X to Celebrate the New Constitution ratification, and discuss treasury growth rate reduction (0.2 → 0.1) - link.
- 02-18 Intersect MCC Meeting: Join in to stay up to date with Intersect’s MCC progression - link.
02-19 DRep Working Group - Budget Approval: Each session will focus on providing up-to-date information about the budget process - link. - 02-20 Intersect OSC Meeting: link .
- 02-22 Overview of Key Governance Bodies in Cardano: Tamale, Ghana Meetup, organized by Cardano Ambassador @Jeremiah - link .
- 02-22 2025 Korea Cardano Community Townhall (2): Budget Proposal Review: Seoul, Korea (South) Meetup, organized by @Oscar_West - link
For an overview of weekly events, visit the Cardano Calendar
Many thanks and greetings from the Community Team!