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

Input Output, the company responsible for developing the Cardano blockchain, is seeking to reduce its reliance on community funding by requesting approximately half of the amount it sought last year. The company has submitted nine proposals totaling $46.8 million for the 2026 cycle, with a focus on scaling the network to increase transaction capacity and integrating Bitcoin DeFi. This reduced funding request marks the first step in a plan to phase out Input Output's dependency on community funds, with the goal of becoming self-sustaining through its own revenue. The proposals include a consensus upgrade called Leios, which aims to increase Cardano's transaction processing capacity by 10 to 65 times, as well as a system called Pogun, which seeks to bring Bitcoin-based decentralized finance to Cardano. The voting process, which opens on Tuesday and runs through May 24, will be overseen by roughly 1,000 elected delegates representing ADA holders. The outcome of the vote will indicate whether the Cardano community's approach to funding development has shifted, now that alternatives to Input Output exist.