Cardano’s 2026 Upgrade Proposal Sparks Debate on Network Turning Point

TLDR:

The van Rossem Hard Fork will optimize Plutus performance and node security.
The proposal includes a treasury spending limit set at 350 million ADA.
Developments are advancing toward the implementation of Ouroboros Leios on the mainnet.

The network founded by Charles Hoskinson is evolving alongside the blockchain ecosystem. In this context, Intersect presented the proposal to name Protocol Version 11.

The Cardano upgrade will be known as the van Rossem Hard Fork, in honor of Max van Rossem, following the tradition of honoring influential community figures who have left a legacy on the protocol.

Unlike previous events, this particular milestone will be classified as an “intra-era hard fork.” This implies that significant improvements will be introduced without the need to migrate to a completely new ledger era, facilitating a more agile adoption by network operators.

Technical Impact: Plutus and Security at the Center Stage

The Cardano upgrade aims to bolster the infrastructure for decentralized applications. Technical changes will focus on enhancing Plutus performance, ensuring ledger consistency, and raising node security.

These changes will directly affect Plutus primitives and reference input rules, optimizing the execution of smart contracts.

Regarding the financial aspect, governance is also taking a step forward. Under the guidelines of the Cardano Constitution, a Net Change Limit (NCL) of 350 trillion lovelaces, equivalent to 350 million ADA, has been proposed.

This ensures that the use of treasury funds remains within sustainable parameters during this development cycle.

In summary, the community is optimistically watching the progress of Ouroboros Leios. According to IOG’s public tracker, specification and implementation work continues to advance, complementing the Cardano upgrade in 2026 and positioning the network to handle higher transaction volumes with unprecedented efficiency.