Cardano Developer Requests Reduced Funding of $46.8 Million for Expansion and DeFi Development

Input Output, the company responsible for building and maintaining the Cardano blockchain, is seeking approximately half the funding it requested last year from the project's treasury. The company has submitted nine proposals totaling $46.8 million for 2026, with a focus on scaling the network to increase transaction capacity and expanding into Bitcoin DeFi. This reduced funding request marks the first step in Input Output's plan to decrease its reliance on community funds and become self-sustaining. The proposals are divided into two main themes: the Leios consensus upgrade, which aims to increase Cardano's transaction processing capacity, and the Pogun system, which seeks to bring Bitcoin-based decentralized finance to the network. The voting process, which is open to roughly 1,000 elected delegates, will test the effectiveness of Cardano's governance and determine the level of funding allocated to Input Output.