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 roughly half the funding it sought last year from the project's community treasury. The company has submitted nine proposals for 2026, totaling $46.8 million, with a focus on scaling Cardano's transaction processing capacity and expanding its presence in Bitcoin DeFi. This reduced funding request marks the first step in a plan to reduce Input Output's reliance on community funds, with the goal of sustaining itself on its own revenue. 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 integrate Bitcoin-based decentralized finance into Cardano. The vote on these proposals will test the Cardano community's governance and its willingness to support Input Output's development work.