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

Input Output, the company responsible for developing the Cardano blockchain, has requested approximately half the funding it received 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 and expanding into Bitcoin DeFi. This reduction in funding is part of a plan to decrease the company's reliance on community funds and become self-sustaining. The proposals include a consensus upgrade called Leios, which is expected to increase the network's transaction processing capacity by 10 to 65 times, and a system called Pogun, which aims to bring Bitcoin-based decentralized finance to Cardano. The funding requests will be voted on by the community, with the outcome determining the future of Cardano's development and the role of Input Output in the project.