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 highlight the Cardano Summit 2025 in Berlin, including community-led sessions, Roundtable Talks, and recap resources. We spotlight content creators Lido Nation, Sapien, and DaveXCrypto for their recent explainers and technical breakdowns. Developer Office Hours featured Moog and MPFS stress-testing work, along with LW3’s Digital Product Passport platform built on Cardano and Hydra.
We welcome new Ambassador Robert Phair for his long-standing contributions to CIPs, documentation, and the Developer Portal. Intersect MBO released its report on the November 21 mainnet incident, detailing the temporary chain partition, ecosystem coordination, and confirmation that no funds were lost. IOG shared its latest Leios progress and opened its 2026 research call under Cardano Vision.
Project Catalyst reminds the community to submit Fund15 proposals by November 27 and outlines updates to the Milestone Module for clearer reviews. The Cardano Foundation highlights Cardano Academy’s free courses and the 50% CBCA exam discount available through Pearson VUE. All this and more in today’s Digest.. All this and more in today’s Digest.
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 Vietnam Developer Meetup #1 Recap: Cardano 101
The Cardano Vietnam Community recently shared an update on a recently held Developer Meetup, MEETUP #1: Cardano 101, organized with Over Guild. The session welcomed developers from Ho Chi Minh City to explore Cardano’s mission, roadmap, and real-world applications. Attendees learned about Project Catalyst Fund15, the Cardano Resource Hub (https://ada.antdle.xyz), and key development tools. Nim Pham highlighted Cardano’s security, scalability, sustainable governance, and growing global ecosystem. Hands-on activities included creating wallets, receiving testnet ADA, sending transactions, and exploring the Blockfrost Dashboard. The full recap of the event can be read here.
Cardano Summit 2025 - Cardano Community Event Recap
The 2025 Cardano Summit in Berlin was truly an unforgettable experience, bringing together builders, researchers, creators, and long-time contributors from around the world.
Beyond keynotes, workshops, and announcements, the real heartbeat of the Summit was the community, showing up stronger than ever, sharing ideas, and shaping the Cardano vision.
Highlights include Community Holds The Mic with global perspectives, Roundtable Talks exploring culture and values, and Behind the Scenes moments capturing energy, connections, and that unmistakable Berlin vibe.
Missed it or want to re-live the excitement? Watch the full recap video here and experience the Summit spirit.
Wherever the community gathers, Cardano stands tall, with curiosity, purpose, and the unstoppable drive of builders who care.
Other recaps of Day Zero, Day 1, and Day 2 can be found on the Cardano Foundation website, and on X using the hashtag #CardanoSummit2025 and the Cardano Summit X profile page
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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Lido NationLido Nation published an in-depth blog breaking down Cardano’s cost_model parameter. In short, it defines the computational cost of executing Plutus smart contracts, assigning a specific “price” in execution units to each operation to ensure efficiency and prevent network abuse. Read the full blog here.
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SapienSapien is known for deep-dive, thought-provoking videos on Cardano tech. In one of their latest episodes, they explore the real story behind Digital IDs and why the topic has returned to the spotlight. Watch the episode here.
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**Dave (DaveXCrypto)**Dave is known for his energetic, concise, and educational Cardano-focused content. In recent weeks, he has shared several pieces, including a clear introduction to DeFi and Cardano’s role in shaping it, as well as an explanation of how capped-supply cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Cardano’s ada can support long-term stability and value. His ability to communicate complex topics in an accessible way continues to distinguish his contributions within the community.• DeFi video: Watch here• Supply-cap post: Read 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 HoursParticipation 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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Moog & MPFS Stress-Testing – Moog & MPFS Stress-Testing – The High Assurance Lab team demonstrated how Moog and the MPFS smart-contract framework bring audit-ready, permissionless stress testing to Cardano by coordinating large-scale test runs through Antithesis with verifiable on-chain state tracking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZzM2ewZ9uQ
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LW3 – Marungsha Brahma presented how LW3 is using Cardano Layer 1 and Hydra Layer 2 to build a Digital Product Passport platform for the EV supply chain, enabling battery tokenization, real-time updates, and scalable compliance with upcoming EU requirements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt_w2WQD-pU
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 #43: Robert Phair
Robert recently joined the ranks of Cardano Ambassadors, and many of you will already recognize his name. His contributions to the Developer Portal, the CIP process, and ecosystem documentation have made him a familiar and respected presence in our technical community. With a long background in systems administration and open-source development, Robert has been a steady advocate for clear standards, accessible knowledge, and empowering builders across the stack. We’re excited to see him continue this work as an Ambassador. Thank you, Robert, and welcome to the Program!
For Robert’s full story, read here.
Intersect MBO: Cardano Mainnet Incident
On Friday, November 21, 2025, the Cardano mainnet experienced a temporary chain partition, triggered by a malformed delegation transaction that exploited a legacy bug in the deserialization code. The incident split the blockchain into a “poisoned” chain that accepted the bug and a “healthy” chain that didn’t. Importantly, the network never halted; block production continued on both chains throughout.
A coordinated ecosystem response followed: teams from IOG, the Cardano Foundation, Intersect MBO, EMURGO, major exchanges and SPOs deployed hot-fix node versions 10.5.2 and 10.5.3 and established a working group to reconcile data and restore full synchronization. Read the full incident report here.
According to Intersect’s “Facts-at-a-Glance” post many of the myths, such as that the chain stopped or funds were stolen, are just that: myths. No user funds were lost and most wallets required no action.
There was even unexpected cross‑chain respect: Anatoly Yakovenko, Co‑Founder of Solana Labs, posted on X that the incident showed “Nakamoto‑style consensus without proof of work … The protocol functioned as designed in the presence of bugs” -a well-appreciated compliment from a peer. (See his full post: X / aeyakovenko)
Updates from IOG
**Research Update: Leios Monthly Spotlight (October)**Research Update: Leios Monthly Spotlight (October) IOG published its October Leios monthly review, highlighting steady progress across design, testing, and simulation. According to the authors, the team demonstrated fast vote compression into compact certificates, measured how Leios traffic behaves alongside block diffusion under high load, and shared updated simulations showing system throughput stabilizing near 300 TxkB/s. The update also covers emerging ecosystem prototypes, node-to-client interface discussions, and refinements toward real-world deployment. Read the full blog here.
Call for proposals: fundamental research to advance the Cardano ecosystemIOG has opened its 2026 call for proposals under Cardano Vision, a multi-year initiative focused on foundational blockchain science. As mentioned by the author, the program invites academics and research groups to submit proposals across priority areas, including new smart-contract DSLs, global decentralized identity, proof-of-useful-work consensus, and improved metrics for ecosystem throughput. Selected research will support Cardano’s long-term resilience, interoperability, and scientific leadership. Read the full announcement here.
Updates From Project Catalyst:
Project Catalyst: Submit Your Fund15 Proposal by Nov 27, 6AM UTC
This is your chance to share innovative ideas with the ecosystem and gain support to turn them into reality. Make sure to check the official Fund15 Hub for timelines, rules, and updates, and use the Catalyst App (clear cache first) to submit. Proposals close November 27, 2025, at 6:00 AM UTC. Familiarize yourself with the Category Brief and Fund Rules to meet eligibility and guardrails, then get ready to submit your best work!
Latest changes in the Milestone Module
Project Catalyst recently announced updates to the Milestone Module to make reviews fairer, clearer, and more efficient. Feedback from other Reviewers now stays private until all assigned reviews are submitted, ensuring independent evaluations.
Mandatory Approved/Not Approved checkboxes guide decisions, requiring explanations for how deliverables are met or gaps identified. Resubmissions can be tracked with “View changes,” and standardized Milestone/PoA templates now follow an A/B/C format for acceptance criteria and evidence. For more details, read here.
Cardano Academy: 50% Off Certification Exams for Cardano Community
Hey Cardano Community, we have some great news for you straight from the Cardano Academy!
In case you haven’t heard of it yet, the Cardano Academy offers neatly structured, completely free self‑paced courses, from blockchain fundamentals to all things Cardano, and when you finish, you earn a shareable digital badge.
The flagship course (CBCA - Cardano Blockchain Certified Associate) dives into consensus algorithms, system security, block structure, and scaling. It also explores transaction models like UTXO and extended UTXO, incentive mechanisms, and more. On the Cardano side, you learn about its origin, governance, and the Ouroboros proof‑of‑stake protocol, among other things. And you get hands‑on with using ADA, staking, and minting native assets, which helps prepare you for the CBCA exam. Read more about it here.
For those who want a globally recognized, official certification and to really stand out, there’s an exam you can take at Pearson VUE test centres. Normally, the exam costs USD 99, but Cardano Academy is sponsoring 50% discount of that with voucher code CARDANOCOMMUNITY2025, bringing your cost down to USD 49.50.
To redeem your voucher:
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Visit the Cardano Foundation page on Pearson VUE
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Log in or create a Pearson VUE account
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Select the CBCA exam
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Enter CARDANOCOMMUNITY2025 at checkout — it should reduce your fee to USD 49.50
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Confirm and schedule your exam
The discount code is valid until 31 January 2026, however the exam must be taken by 31 March 2026. for more information and the signup: Cardano Academy.
Cardano Reddit Top 10 Most Engaged Topics
Below are the most engaging topics on Reddit
- Cardano mainnet incident Myths and Facts
- What needs to change for Cardano to reclaim its top 5 spot? Serious discussion.
- $6 Million Gone: Cardano Trader Wiped Out by Fatal Stablecoin Swap
- Cardano: Innovation you can build on.
- Update - Charles Hoskinson
- Even Toly (Solana) impressed With Cardano Recovery!
- All 9 of Cardano’s governance explorers are out of sync with each other, and 8 of them are inaccurate.
- Newfound Unity - Charles Hoskinson
- Cardano has forked for over 1 hour
- Cardano stables vs USDC some real talk
Cardano Forum Top 10 Referred Topics
Topics that have received the most clicks from external sources. (last 10 Days)
- Is the silence here a cause for alarm?
- Upgrade to 10.5.3 - Another guide
- Francophone Africa also wants to build the future of Cardano – and we are already taking action!
- Cardano Adoption Has Become an Orphan
- Cardano Vietnam x Over Guild: Meet-up #1: Kick-off 101 (15/11/2025) - Recap
- your wallet, your handle, your data
- Cardano Africa Tech Summit 2026 – Goma & Nyiragongo Hubs (DR Congo)
- Cardano mainnet incident; Myths vs Facts
- Cardano at the ITIZ Hackathon 2025 (CDMX): results and learnings
- Cardano Meeting in Athens (GR & ENG translation)
Upcoming Community Events
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11-26 Project Catalyst - Weekly Town Hall: ​Hosted by Project Catalyst - More Details Here
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11-27 RSVP Only Summit Hackathon Weekly Study Sessions, Darlington Wleh: More Details Here
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11-29 Annual Members Meeting - Australia, Join the Intersect Annual Members Meeting, an entirely virtual gathering designed to bring members from every part of the world together. This year, the event will take place inside our customised Virtual Hub, offering an immersive, interactive experience for all participants - More Details Here
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11-29 Intersect Annual Members Meeting 2025, ​​Join Intersect Annual Members Meeting, a fully virtual gathering designed so members from every part of the world can participate. This year, the event will be hosted inside our customised Virtual Hub, offering an immersive and interactive experience: More Details Here
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11-29 Intersect Annual Members Meeting Japan, ​​More Details Here
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11-29 Intersect Annual Members Meeting Singapore & China, ​​More Details Here
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11-29 Intersect Annual Members Meeting Vietnam, ​​More Details Here
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11-29 Intersect Annual Members Meeting Vietnam, ​​More Details Here
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11-29 Intersect Annual Members Meeting Sri Lanka & India, ​​More Details Here
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11-29 Intersect Annual Members Meeting Kenya, ​​More Details Here
For more weekly events, visit Cardano Events
Many thanks and greetings from the Community Team!