Deep Dive
1. Core Protocol Funding Approved (4 August 2025)
Overview: Cardano’s community voted to allocate 96M ADA ($71M) from its treasury for 12 months of protocol upgrades, marking its first on-chain governance-backed development budget.
The funding supports Hydra (layer-2 scaling), Ouroboros Leios (consensus upgrade for higher throughput), and Project Acropolis (modular node architecture). Milestone-based payouts and third-party oversight by Intersect ensure accountability.
What this means: This is bullish for ADA as it accelerates scalability and developer tools, potentially boosting DeFi adoption. (Source)
2. Account Enhancement CIP Drafted (5 August 2025)
Overview: A new CIP proposes letting users pay fees in native tokens (not just ADA) and lock non-ADA assets as deposits, addressing a key UX bottleneck.
The change shifts deposit accounting to reward mechanisms, eliminating the need for 1 ADA minimum per UTxO. This simplifies microtransactions for voting, governance, and DeFi.
What this means: This is neutral-to-bullish, as it could attract more dApp builders but requires community ratification. (Source)
3. CNCLI v6.6.0 Released (4 August 2025)
Overview: The latest CNCLI update improves block propagation times and adds debugging tools for stake pool operators (SPOs).
Key features include enhanced logging for transaction processing and optimized memory usage, reducing operational costs for SPOs.
What this means: This is neutral for ADA but critical for network reliability, ensuring smoother node performance during high activity. (Source)
Conclusion
Cardano’s codebase is evolving through community-funded scalability upgrades and UX refinements, balancing decentralization with technical rigor. With Ouroboros Leios and Hydra nearing implementation, how will these changes impact ADA’s position in the Layer 1 race?