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

Input Output, the company responsible for building and maintaining the Cardano blockchain, is requesting approximately half the funding it sought last year from the project's treasury. The company has submitted nine proposals for 2026, totaling $46.8 million, with a focus on scaling the network to increase its transaction capacity and expanding into Bitcoin DeFi. This reduced funding request is part of a plan to decrease dependency on community funds, with the goal of becoming self-sufficient through its own revenue. By the end of 2026, Input Output expects smaller teams to take on most of its current work, including firms like VacuumLabs and Midgard Labs. The proposals are divided into two main themes: a consensus upgrade called Leios, which aims to increase Cardano's transaction processing capacity, and a system called Pogun, which seeks to bring Bitcoin-based decentralized finance to Cardano. Smaller proposals cover performance improvements, security testing, and expanded API services. Each proposal is tied to specific delivery milestones, and voting will be open from Tuesday until May 24, with roughly 1,000 elected delegates making the decisions.