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

Input Output, the company responsible for developing the Cardano blockchain, has submitted nine proposals for the 2026 voting cycle, seeking $46.8 million in funding. This amount is roughly half of what the company requested last year. The proposals focus on enhancing Cardano's scalability and exploring Bitcoin DeFi opportunities. The reduced funding request marks the first step in Input Output's plan to decrease its reliance on community treasury funds and become self-sufficient. By the end of 2026, the company expects smaller teams to take over most of its current in-house work. The proposals are divided into two main themes: scaling and Bitcoin DeFi. The Leios consensus upgrade aims to increase Cardano's transaction processing capacity, while the Pogun system seeks to bring Bitcoin-based decentralized finance to Cardano. Other proposals cover performance improvements, security testing, and developer tools. Each proposal is tied to specific delivery milestones, and voting will take place from Tuesday to May 24. The outcome will test whether Cardano's governance treats Input Output like any other grant applicant or continues to approve its requests based on deference.