Cardano News

This week, the networking team integrated bootstrap peers and improved the tx-submission feature. The consensus team worked on Genesis and the second iteration of the ledger DB API for UTXO-HD. The Marlowe team added initial state commands, resolved balancing issues, and published validators on mainnet. Hydra prepared for version 0.15.0, polished hydra-chess, and enhanced testing. Mithril released a client NPM package, new distribution, and improved transaction certification. Project Catalyst started Fund11 voting, and the education team planned Cardano Days events and updated Haskell Bootcamp lessons.

Derek, Co-Founder of VESPR Wallet, shares insights into the wallet’s innovative journey, focusing on user-friendly design, security measures, and responsiveness to feedback, making blockchain accessible for all. On January 20, 2024, a DRep workshop in Oslo, hosted by Thomas Lindseth and Eystein Hansen, focused on refining a Code of Conduct and discussing governance integration and educational content for DReps. IAMX partners with Klüh Multiservices to enhance service management using Cardano. Iagon expands globally with 197 nodes and a China patent. NEWM Studios launches blockchain-minted songs on Cardano Mainnet. Project Catalyst Fund11 voting starts January 25, 2024. Dex Hunter announces cross-chain integration. Marlowe website revamped.

In this interview, Derek, Co-founder of VESPR Wallet, discusses the development of their Cardano wallet. VESPR aims to address the shortcomings of existing wallets with a focus on simplicity and user-friendly design, catering to both newcomers and experienced users.

The interview highlights VESPR's agile approach, operating without a fixed roadmap to adapt to evolving trends and user feedback. Future plans include launching a desktop version and prioritizing hardware wallet support.

Partnerships with organizations like 21ADA Stakepool, DexHunter, Uphold, DripDropz, and HOSKY Token are mentioned, adding collaborative features to VESPR. This interview presents VESPR Wallet as a solution emphasizing practicality and usability in the Cardano ecosystem. Let's right dive in!

On January 26, 2024, the University of Edinburgh will host QSig, a research event bringing together academics and industry experts, including IOG’s professor Aggelos Kiayias and the Ethereum Foundation’s Justin Drake. The event will explore quantum computing’s applications in cryptography, blockchain science, and financial technology. QSig will highlight recent advancements in quantum cryptographic primitives that address longstanding blockchain security challenges. Discussions will cover the potential of quantum key distribution, encryption techniques, and one-shot signature schemes, focusing on their impact on blockchain technology and financial systems. Sponsored by Input Output, the Cardano Foundation, and the Ethereum Foundation, QSig aims to advance research in quantum-enhanced financial technologies.

Over the past few weeks, the ledger team added new features, improved transaction fee estimation, and fixed various bugs. The Marlowe team benchmarked contract lifecycles, added Merkleized contract examples, and updated the Marlowe Run web application. The Hydra team improved workflows, addressed schema consistency, and enhanced log schema tests. Mithril enabled direct certificate verification, supported Conway era, and upgraded infrastructure. Voltaire continued Conway era development and updated SanchoNet documentation. Project Catalyst concluded the moderation period for community review, with voting starting January 25. The education team planned activities and updated the Haskell Bootcamp course.

The Catalyst Team proposes Catalyst Working Groups to involve the Cardano community in shaping future funding rounds through data-driven analysis. This initiative emphasizes collaboration with the global community to foster innovation and decentralize the decision-making process for funding priorities. Fund11 voting will determine the community's interest in dedicating resources to this program, aiming to enhance Cardano's innovation funding by incorporating diverse insights and accelerating startup innovation. Successful proposals will kick off with Fund12 and include community-hosted events, with support and compensation provided to ensure active community participation in determining Cardano's funding objectives.

This week, the core technology teams released node v.8.7.3, fixing an outbound-governor issue and enhancing query versioning. The Lace team released v.1.8 with bug fixes and new features. Plutus tools improved synchronization and memory usage for Marconi and added new primitives for Plutus v3. Hydra completed Conway support and enhanced off-chain code. Mithril enabled direct certificate verification and improved node communications. Voltaire development continued with governance and constitution preparations. Project Catalyst held its first town hall and progressed Fund11 through the community review stage. The education team planned yearly activities and Mastering Cardano publication options.

The Cardano Foundation extends heartfelt New Year wishes to the entire Cardano Community, anticipating another successful year in furthering Cardano’s development. On December 24th, 2023, IAGON launched its decentralized shared storage platform on the Cardano mainnet, revolutionizing data processing and storage solutions. The Cardano Builder Fest, a 2-day event for tech-savvy Cardano builders, will be held in Toulouse, France, on April 23-24, 2024, focusing on demos, open source, project presentations, and live coding. The Rosen Bridge team announced the live bridge between the Ergo and Cardano blockchains, enabling users to send and receive ADA and supported tokens without deploying smart contracts on the destination chain. dcSpark updated their JS/Rust SDK, fixing memory leaks and adding new features. The Cardano Foundation partnered with Petrobras to provide blockchain education for employees. Intersect will now oversee the administration of core Cardano infrastructure. CNCLI v6.0.0 was released, supporting node version 8.7.3. Genius Yield launched their order book DEX on Cardano.

In 2023, Cardano's ecosystem thrived with major innovations, protocol launches, and significant events, marking a year of substantial growth and development. Highlights include the launch of Liqwid Finance, the Valentine Hardfork, VyFinance DEX, and groundbreaking NFT initiatives, enhancing DeFi and NFT market presence. Additionally, Marlowe's release democratized smart contract creation, while Spectrum Finance introduced a decentralized DEX. Events like Rare Evo and NFTxLV 2023 showcased the community's vibrancy, with ADAmail and OrcFax Oracle further expanding Cardano's Web3 and oracle capabilities. The year concluded with Rosenbridge, facilitating Cardano-Ergo interoperability, setting a strong foundation for future innovation.

The concept of a technical-focused Cardano event, Cardano Buidler Fest, was born from discussions among developers working on Hydra in 2023. Recognizing a gap in existing Cardano events, which cater to a broader audience, this fest aims to bridge the divide between developers on the Cardano platform and those building applications on it. It seeks to provide a technology-centric space for in-depth discussions, sharing, and learning, addressing the complex and evolving nature of Cardano's technology and ecosystem. The event encourages participation from the community to shape its content, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among Cardano technologists and beyond.