Input Output Global (IOG) explains how its Mithril protocol provides lightweight access to the Cardano blockchain. Mithril allows users and applications to verify the state of the chain quickly and securely without downloading its entire history. This is achieved through a stake-based multi-signature scheme where a quorum of stakeholders certifies snapshots of the blockchain. This significantly lowers resource usage, making it ideal for light wallets, mobile applications, and layer 2 solutions.

The report highlights consensus team fixes for Genesis and progress on Cardano Blueprint CDDL validation. Brave and IO are partnering to integrate Cardano into the Brave wallet. Plutus team advanced formal methods and modular-exponentiation testing. Scaling work included Leios simulations reaching 1,000 TPS and Mithril DMQ node advancements. The Cardano budget proposal was submitted on-chain as an info action, and FluidTokens launched Babel fees.

Input Output Global (IOG) published a blog post, detailing native tokens within Cardano's Extended UTXO (EUTXO) model. The post explains how these tokens function without requiring smart contracts for creation or transfer, unlike account-based systems like Ethereum. This design offers enhanced security and reduced transaction fees for users. The article contrasts Cardano's approach with traditional ERC-20 tokens, emphasizing the inherent advantages of its native token implementation.

The report information, largely reflected in Intersect's update, highlights significant progress in governance processes. This includes the upcoming submission of a budget info action with 39 proposals for DRep voting in epoch 557, and the opening of candidate registration for the Constitutional Committee, running until May 31st. The report also noted a strong voter turnout for Q1 committee elections and an increase in DRep statistics. Additionally, community contributions such as the Lucid Evolution off-chain framework and the Midgard Protocol L2 solution were mentioned.

The report highlights the pre-release of Node v.10.4.1 with a production-ready UTXO-HD backend and consensus team advancements in testing models. Lace wallet v.1.22 launched, introducing Firefox browser support and Bitcoin integration (beta). Smart contract updates included strictness analysis for UPLC and PIR. The ecosystem saw continued growth in projects and DRep participation, with TapTools launching the Cardano Builder DAO and Metera mainnet going live.

The report highlights core technology updates, including ledger team work preparing for future eras and the pre-release of node v.10.3.1 focusing on performance improvements and lightweight checkpointing support. Ecosystem growth continued, and key updates include DRep delegation going live on Yoroi Wallet, Kinka minting its first XNK tokens on Cardano, a new EMURGO partnership announcement, and the launch of ChadSwap.

The report highlights core technology advancements, including consensus team progress on Genesis testing and collaboration with the Ouroboros Phalanx team. Networking focused on transaction submission features, while performance benchmarked node v.10.3.1. The Plutus team delivered several improvements to Plinth, enhancing the smart contract compiler and libraries. Work also continued across scaling solutions, wallet development, and governance features.

Input Output Global (IOG) published an update on Ouroboros Leios, presented as a major redesign of Cardano's consensus protocol aimed at significantly increasing transaction throughput and scalability. The post explains how Leios utilizes a novel concurrent structure with specialized block types (input, endorsement, ranking) to enable parallel processing while preserving the security and decentralization of Ouroboros Praos. Currently in the research and development phase, Leios is positioned as a transformative upgrade for Cardano's long-term capacity.

IOG introduces Ouroboros Peras, an upgrade to the Ouroboros Praos protocol aimed at accelerating transaction settlement on Cardano. Peras reduces settlement times to around two minutes, increasing confidence in transaction finality. It introduces a voting-based chain selection process and certificate system to reach rapid consensus while maintaining security and decentralization. This advancement supports Cardano’s scalability and responsiveness to network demands.

The April 11, 2025, development report highlights Cardano’s steady growth with 1,990 projects, 1.33 million delegated wallets, and 10.75 million native tokens. Smart contracts reached 130,282 Plutus and 6,217 Aiken scripts, with 108.36 million total transactions. Governance participation expanded to 1,238 DReps. Highlights include Charles Hoskinson’s keynote at Paris Blockchain Week, a node diversity workshop, and Draper University selecting 20 builders for its residency. Zekret Protocol will build on Cardano, and Eternl wallet launched a new version with UI upgrades and multi-sig support.