Cardano News

The Midnight network has officially launched its mainnet, enabling privacy-preserving applications via zero-knowledge proofs. FluidTokens executed the first native Bitcoin–Cardano atomic swap, allowing trustless trading without bridges. Cardano Node v.10.7.0 was pre-released, introducing the LSM Tree to reduce RAM usage from 24GB to 8GB. Stake Pool Operators are invited to an SPO Call on April 2 to discuss these updates and the path toward the Van Rossum hard fork.

The Pentad has transitioned to delivering Critical Integrations, headlined by the live launch of USDCx, which boosted Cardano's stablecoin supply by 40%. Pyth Network oracles are now code-complete for a Q2 launch, while Dune Analytics and LayerZero integrations are currently in progress. Furthermore, the design phase for Pentad V2 has begun, focusing on expanding infrastructure and capital flow.

The networking and consensus teams supported the node v.10.7.0 release and progressed on the Peras protocol, including on-chain certificate tracking. Mithril completed the Halo2 circuit and SNARK aggregation primitives, while Hydra advanced the partial fanout and directly open heads features. Additionally, Professor Aggelos Kiayias was named a 2026 IACR Fellow for his cryptographic contributions.

New research from the Cardano Foundation, IOG, and Gauntlet examines validator incentives and restaking security as block emissions decline. It highlights how SPOs could gain rewards by securing external protocols but warns of vulnerabilities in slashing-based models. The study shows that penalties in one protocol can compromise others, leading the Foundation to investigate more robust, non-slashing incentive alternatives.

The ledger team reached a major milestone by releasing all packages for cardano-node v.10.7, preparing for the intra-era hard fork to protocol version 11. Mithril advanced its SNARK circuit refactoring and published a blog on mainnet protocol changes. Meanwhile, Hydra version 1.3.0 was released, featuring progress on partial fanouts and fixes for high transaction loads. The team is now focusing on the upcoming Dijkstra era.

Programmable Tokens and the CIP-0113 standard are live, allowing customizable on-chain rules for native assets. Cardano.org has added Spanish support, and the Summit Rio 2025 highlighted the value of IRL collaboration. FluidTokens introduced gold-backed lending, while the new SuperNode tool simplifies deployment for SPOs and partner chains.

Binance listed the NIGHT token, and the Sandstone team released Torsten, a new Cardano node written in Rust. The consensus team progressed on the Ouroboros Leios prototype and updated the node-to-client protocol to version 23. Lace is preparing for the Midnight mainnet launch, while Mithril continues implementing succinct proofs (SNARKs). Additionally, Intersect announced that committee election applications will open on March 30.

The Programmable Tokens Platform and open-source CIP-0113 standard allow tokenized assets to incorporate customizable on-chain compliance rules directly into the Cardano ledger. Built using Aiken, this modular framework supports scaling regulated equities, commodities, and stablecoins while maintaining native asset efficiency. It provides issuers the flexibility to enforce rules, such as transfer restrictions or asset freezes, automatically through smart contracts.

Payments in 137 SPAR stores across Switzerland now support ada, highlighting significant real-world adoption. The ledger team advanced nested transactions and performance restructuring, while the Lace wallet integrated Midnight mainnet support and the LaceID identity feature. Furthermore, the Mithril team completed signer authentication for SNARK verification keys. Research breakthroughs also established formal models for geographic diversity and Sybil-proofness in decentralized restaking networks.

Customers in Switzerland can now pay with ada at 137 SPAR stores, marking a significant milestone for real-world retail adoption. This integration, powered by DFX.swiss and the Open Crypto Pay standard, enables direct payments from native wallets without centralized intermediaries. By bypassing traditional payment providers, retailers benefit from transaction fees reduced by nearly two-thirds, demonstrating the practical economic value of the Cardano network in everyday life.