Cardano activated the Van Rossem hard fork on July 19, 2026, at 05:44:51 (UTC+8), upgrading the network to protocol version 11. This upgrade, part of the Conway ledger era, aims to reduce Plutus smart contract execution costs, enhance ledger security, and introduce new cryptographic tools. Van Rossem incorporates five Cardano Improvement Proposals covering BLS12-381 multi-scalar multiplication, on-chain array types, optimized multi-asset value handling, accelerated list operations, and built-in modular exponentiation. The upgrade was approved through Cardano’s on-chain governance process, with delegate support at 77.63%, pool operator support at 52.7%, and a constitutional committee vote of 6-0-0-1. The combined balance of wallets holding between 100,000 and 100 million ADA reached its highest level since 2023, controlling over a quarter of ADA’s circulating supply. Cardano will next advance toward Ouroboros Leios, targeting over 1,000 transactions per second during its 2026 testing phase.
Cardano Activates the Van Rossem Hard Fork, Completing Its First On-Chain Governance Upgrade
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Summary
On July 19, 2026, at 05:44:51 UTC+8, Cardano activated the Van Rossem hard fork on-chain, upgrading to protocol version 11. This hard fork represents a major milestone in the Conway era, lowering Plutus contract costs, enhancing security, and introducing new cryptographic tools such as BLS12-381 multi-scalar multiplication and modular exponentiation. The upgrade received on-chain governance approval with 77.63% delegate support, including 52.7% from pool operators, and a 6-0-0-1 vote from the Constitution Committee. ADA wallets holding between 100,000 and 100 million coins control over a quarter of the circulating supply. In 2026, Cardano will test Ouroboros Leios to achieve over 1,000 transactions per second.
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