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!
If you are interested in receiving the Community Digest in the future directly via email, please sign-up here!
In this edition of the Community Digest, we highlight
- Amplify Cardano: Rare Network opens funding for events and marketing initiatives to spotlight builders and projects.
- Ouroboros Leios: Development continues steadily toward mainnet with progress across specifications, simulations, and implementation.
- Cardanians Weekly Updates: ADA futures ETFs, NIGHT token listings, MiCAR-approved European crypto apps, and ecosystem highlights.
- Content Creators Spotlight: Stephanie King, Army of Spies, Linda, and Powered by Cardano showcase tutorials, interviews, and ecosystem insights.
- Cardisa Latina Joins the Cardano Ambassador Program: Learn about her journey into Cardano, and how she’s using her skills to create an impact in Colombia.
- Intersect MBO: Governance action to name Protocol Version 11 “van Rossem Hard Fork” and Milestone 2 Delivery Assurance Update shared.
- IOG Updates: The Cardano Community is invited to provide feedback on the State of Governance and Vision 2025 draft reports.
All this and more in today’s Digest.
Rare Network Call to Action: Amplify Cardano
On January 13th, Rare Network shared a call to action for Cardano projects via X. Through “Amplify Cardano”, projects can apply for Event Funding or Marketing Funding to bring their ideas to life.
According to the company’s website, the program aims to spotlight builders, creators, and communities by supporting impactful events and marketing initiatives that showcase Cardano. Everyone is invited to share what they’re working on, and to explore opportunities through the program. For more information, and to apply, visit here.
Ouroboros Leios Development Continues Toward Mainnet
Lucas Macchiavelli recently shared an update on how Ouroboros Leios development is moving steadily closer to mainnet. According to him, IOG’s public Leios tracker shows continued progress, with active work underway across specifications, simulations, and implementation. You can follow the progress here: https://engineering.iog.io/leios
Cexplorer Announced New API documentation for developers
Cexplorer has recently announced new API documentation as part of the Cexplorer 2.0 upgrade, which was funded by the Cardano Treasury.
According to the team, this gives developers easy access to Cardano on-chain data, including transactions, blocks, epochs, stake pools, governance, assets and more, for both Cardano mainnet and testnets.
This tooling makes building on Cardano faster and simpler for projects of all sizes, removing the need to build infrastructure from scratch and allowing developers to get data easily directly from a blockchain explorer. Developers can integrate more data into existing projects or bring new ideas to life. Click here to access the link to the documentation.
Cardanians: Weekly Ecosystem Updates
In this week’s Cardanians ecosystem newsletter, the team shares several updates from across the Cardano ecosystem. The points below reflect just a few highlights from their weekly X thread.
As per the X post, ProShares has filed for an ada futures ETF, while CME Group is expanding its crypto derivatives suite to include ada, and others such as Chainlink. The newsletter also covers Coinbase launching perpetual futures trading for the NIGHT token - marking its first listing of a CNT. And in Europe, DZ Bank received MiCAR approval to operate its crypto trading app ‘meinKrypto,’ with ada included in the first cohort alongside BTC, and others. For this and more, view here the X thread.
Spotlight on Cardano Content Creators
This week, we’re highlighting some of Cardano’s content creators, community members who help keep the ecosystem informed and engaged. Whether through tutorials, blogs, or thought-provoking discussions, they contribute valuable context and keep the conversation moving. Here are a few creators making an impact:
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Stephanie King (Cardano Ambassador) - Lido Nation
From rural agriculture to global trade rails, this 4-part series shows how Cardano is moving from niche to necessity. Global regulations are now demanding verifiable origin and compliance, so transparent supply chains are no longer optional. Starting with a story about honey as a counterweight to deforestation, we learn what it means when traceability replaces trust, data becomes proof, and blockchain emerges as critical infrastructure. This is a real-world case, plus some forward-looking daydreams, of how blockchain is unlocking markets, protecting ecosystems, and creating opportunities. Start reading the first part of the series here: Driven to Extraction – Part 1 -
Army of Spies
In this live episode of the long-running Cardano Rumor Rundown series, Army of Spies walks through recent developments around Cardano ETFs. The discussion covers new filings from ProShares, CME Group expanding its regulated crypto derivatives offering to include ada futures, updates on stablecoins, the Clarity Act, and much more. Watch the episode here. -
Linda
In this recent educational update, Linda breaks down what’s been happening on Midnight and how privacy-preserving use cases on Midnight can unlock new opportunities for the wider Cardano ecosystem. *Watch the episode here.
These creators are just a snapshot of the many creators within our ecosystem. Following them is a great way to stay updated on tutorials, interviews, and discussions that help deepen your understanding of Cardano and its potential.
Community Learning & Developer Engagement
Developer Office Hours & Cardano Seminars
Participation in the Cardano Developer Office Hours continues to grow, with developers actively tuning in to learn, share knowledge, and interact live with participants. Recent sessions featured:
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Stake Proportional Voting Power – In this Cardano Developers Office Hour, Dr. Yuzhe Zhang presents on stake-proportional voting power in blockchain governance, with a focus on Project Catalyst and future Cardano governance design. Learn how large stakeholders can unintentionally dominate outcomes, why perfectly fair voting mechanisms are mathematically impossible, and how probabilistic approaches using the Banzhaf power index may help design fairer governance systems under real-world conditions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kBkKvxmyZg
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Hydrozoa – In this Cardano Developers Office Hour, George Flerovsky is joined by Peter Dragos and Ilia Rodionov for a deep dive into Hydrozoa, a lightweight state channel protocol designed for efficient Layer 2 execution on Cardano. Learn how Hydrozoa compresses complex off-chain coordination into simple, low-cost Layer 1 multi-signature transactions, enabling fast fund movement, flexible participation models, and strong recovery guarantees—without sacrificing decentralization. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNGktY80njQ
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Cardano Seminar: Plastiks Fighting Greenwashing with the Power of Blockchain – In this Cardano Seminar, Andre Vanyi-Robin from Plastiks presents how blockchain can be used to verify plastic recovery and recycling data, turning real-world sustainability actions into traceable and tamper-proof records. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDyhxe9U8v0
These sessions are just a few examples of the many ongoing ecosystem engagement efforts across Cardano. To stay updated and not miss upcoming episodes, be sure to subscribe to the channel.
Ambassador Stories, Journal #44: Cardisa Latina
Cardisa recently joined the ranks of Cardano Ambassadors. Many of you may already recognize her. She creates articles, videos, reels, and podcasts, mostly in Spanish. Her goal is to make blockchain and Cardano easier to understand for newcomers. With a background in sanitary and environmental engineering, she values sustainability, and sees a clear path that aligns closely with one of Cardano’s missions. In her story, Cardisa also explains about several of her adoption efforts, including initiatives at San Buenaventura University in Cali. We’re excited to see her continue building bridges into the ecosystem as an Ambassador. Welcome to the Program, Cardisa!
For Cardisa’s full story, read here.
Updates from the Intersect MBO
Governance Action Now Live to Name Protocol Version 11 hard fork - van Rossem
Submitted on 13 January 2026 (Epoch 606), the Intersect Hard Fork Working Group proposes to name Cardano’s next upgrade, Protocol Version 11, the van Rossem Hard Fork, in memory of Cardano community contributor Max van Rossem.
The proposal and its associated on-chain details can be reviewed via the following sources:
• GovTool
• AdaStat
• CardanoScan
The governance action is open for review and voting and is scheduled to expire on 13 February 2026 (Epoch 613).
Parameter Update Governance Action Now Live
Intersect’s Parameter Committee has submitted the first of two parameter update governance actions under PCP-003, proposing an increase to Plutus script memory unit limits per transaction and per block. The change is intended to give dApp developers more flexibility, particularly for more complex scripts, with potential improvements to user experience.
The governance action was submitted on 14 January 2026, during Epoch 606, and remains open for voting until 13 February 2026, at the end of Epoch 613.
Because these parameters are classified as security-relevant under the Constitution’s guardrails, approval is required from both DReps and SPOs for the proposal to be enacted. The increase has been reviewed and tested, with no material impact on network performance expected. It is recommended by the Parameter Committee and has been ratified by Intersect’s Technical Steering Committee. These limits were originally set conservatively. As the ecosystem matures and builders request more headroom, gradually increasing them is a logical and reasonable next step.
For anyone who wants to explore further, you can easily check whether a parameter is security-relevant and which governance actions require SPO approval via the governance insights page on cardano.org. For this proposal, that includes parameters such as maxBlockExecutionUnits and maxTxExecutionUnits.
Intersect MBO Milestone 2 Delivery Assurance Update for 2025 Budget
On January 14th, Intersect MBO announced on X its Delivery Assurance Update for Q4 2025. The update gives an overview of progress and direction across all 2025 budget workstreams.
According to Intersect, “The submission met milestone criteria, presented relevant evidence clearly for the community, reflecting a constructive approach to feedback and continuous improvement.” For an overview of all deliverables for Milestone 2, see the MBO’s milestone acceptance form here.
Updates from Input Output Global
As part of the Cardano Treasury-funded Beyond Minimum Viable Governance project, the IO team is developing the first-ever “State of Governance” report for the Cardano ecosystem. This report will assess the health and effectiveness of on-chain governance, examining the roles of ADA holders, DReps, Stake Pool Operators, and the Constitutional Committee.
To ensure the report contains all the necessary information, and reflects community perspectives, the team is sharing the proposed report outline and Governance Measurement Framework documents for feedback. Community input will help shape the focus, refine metrics, and ensure the final report reflects the realities and priorities of the ecosystem. Your feedback will directly influence how governance health is measured and presented in this inaugural report. Review the documents and share your thoughts here.
Call for Community Feedback: Cardano Vision 2025 Draft Reports
The Input Output Research (IOR) team has published the Cardano Vision 2025 end-of-year draft reports and is inviting the community to provide feedback.
Community input is requested on the Fundamental Research and Technology Validation work. Your thoughts will help refine IOR’s findings and guide future priorities for the Cardano ecosystem. Deadline for feedback: January 23, 2026
Review the drafts here:
Updates from the Cardano Foundation
The Cardano Foundation recently shared several updates spanning adoption, enterprise use cases, and institutional trust.
Cardano and Draper Dragon Partner for Strategic $80M Fund
According to a recent forum post, the Cardano Foundation is supporting Draper Dragon and Draper University in proposing an on-chain Budget Info Action to establish a $80 million fund aimed at scaling Cardano adoption over a multi-year period, with returns flowing back to the Treasury. The Forum post is also intended to collect community feedback on the proposal. The details of the proposed Info Action can be found here:
https://forum.cardano.org/t/scaling-global-adoption-cardano-and-draper-dragon-partner-for-strategic-80m-fund/152493
Strengthening Consumer Trust With On-Chain Traceability: OriginateNavio
In a separate update, the Foundation spotlighted OriginateNavio - its open-source traceability solution built on Cardano. OriginateNavio focuses on enabling verifiable proof of product origin and quality by capturing data, recording it on-chain, and allowing direct verification. According to the Foundation, OriginateNavio is designed to help enterprises address challenges around counterfeit-goods, regulatory compliance, and consumer trust, while at the same time simplifying operational processes and strengthening market confidence. More information can be found on the Cardano Foundation website:
https://cardanofoundation.org/solutions/originatenavio
Join here the community discussion on Reddit.
A Global First in On-Chain Financial Auditing
The Foundation also shared a milestone in institutional blockchain adoption, announcing that Grant Thornton Switzerland completed the first financial audit attested directly on-chain using Cardano. The audit was cryptographically secured via the vLEI framework and powered by Reeve, with the underlying transactions publicly verifiable on-chain. View here the X announcement, including a link to the on-chain transaction.
Cardano Reddit Top 6 Most Engaged Topics
Below are the most engaging topics on Reddit
- Why Cardano’s liquidity problem isn’t about incentives - it’s about infrastructure
- Leios Upgrade: Cardano’s Scalability Leap in 2026 – What You Need to Know!
- Moving NIGHT between Cardano and BNB Chain
- Would anyone be interested in a “how to build this on Cardano” AMA or space?
- Happy Sunday - Charles Hoskinson
- Aegis Rescue: Building Shared Emergency Response Infrastructure on Cardano
Cardano Forum Top 6 Referred Topics
Topics that have received the most clicks from external sources. (last 10 Days)
- Scaling Global Adoption: Cardano and Draper Dragon Partner for Strategic $80M Fund
- The 2026-2027 NCL is a Fiscal Train Wreck: Stop the Bad Faith Spending
- Master the Language of Cardano: A New Blockchain Glossary by the Cardano Foundation
- CATS Hackathon DRC – Wenze Selected to Represent the Country at Nairobi
- The Great Cardano Retirement: Are we a Blockchain or a Support Group?
- Catalyst Africa Town Hall — French Edition in DR Congo
Upcoming Community Events
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01-20 Intersect Product Committee (IPC) call: Hosted by Lorenzo - This is the product committee working session. Anyone is welcome to join and observe. In the last 30 mins the secretary will allow interactions with the observers - Register Here
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01-24 Hanoi Cardano Meetup Series #5: All About Decentralized Governance on Cardano, Hosted by SKY3 TEAM & Cardano Vietnam Community - Join Cardano Vietnam and Sky3team for the fifth session of the Hanoi Cardano Meetup Series 2025, a community-led event designed to connect builders, developers, and Web3 enthusiasts who believe in creating real impact on Cardano. This meetup breaks down Cardano’s decentralized governance in a simple, accessible way. We’ll explore how the community votes, how proposals are funded, and why governance is becoming one of Cardano’s strongest advantages - Register Here
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01-31 Africa Town Hall: French Edition - DR. Congo: Hosted by Africa Townhall - The Catalyst Africa Town Hall will host an in-person gathering in DR Congo to foster discussions around Cardano, strengthen local community engagement, and drive adoption by raising awareness, onboarding new users, and connecting the ecosystem to real-world use cases in the region - Register Here
For more weekly events, visit Cardano Events