Cardano Developer Seeks Reduced Funding of $46.8 Million for Expansion and DeFi Integration

Input Output, the company responsible for building and maintaining the Cardano blockchain, is seeking a substantial reduction in funding from the project's treasury. The company has submitted nine proposals totaling $46.8 million for 2026, marking a considerable decrease from the $97.5 million requested in 2025. These proposals focus on enhancing Cardano's scalability and exploring Bitcoin-based decentralized finance opportunities. The reduced funding request is part of a plan to decrease Input Output's reliance on community funding, with the goal of becoming self-sufficient through its own revenue. By the end of 2026, smaller, specialized teams are expected to take over a significant portion of the work currently handled by Input Output. Two key proposals include the Leios consensus upgrade, aimed at increasing Cardano's transaction processing capacity, and the Pogun system, designed to introduce Bitcoin-based decentralized finance to the Cardano ecosystem. The voting process, which begins on Tuesday and runs through May 24, will be overseen by approximately 1,000 elected delegates, and the outcome will provide insight into the Cardano community's evolving approach to funding development projects.