Cardano Mainnet Upgrades to Version 11 with Van Rossum Hard Fork
Cardano's mainnet has successfully upgraded to Version 11 following the Van Rossum Hard Fork. This upgrade is significant as it marks one of the most important governance milestones since the blockchain was launched.
The hard fork was fully approved through Cardano's on-chain governance, with Delegated Representatives voting in favor with nearly 79% approval, Constitutional Committee unanimously confirming the proposal, and stake pool operators also voting in favor. This demonstrates that protocol evolution can be directed by token holders rather than a central development team.
Version 11 introduces improvements to Plutus smart contracts, expanding built-in functions across different versions of the platform. Developers can now update existing decentralized applications to access newer capabilities while potentially lowering execution costs for smart contracts. This may eventually reduce fees for DeFi protocols, NFT marketplaces, and other on-chain services.
Input Output has confirmed that Version 11 prepares Cardano for Ouroboros Leios, a major scalability proposal expected to increase transaction capacity significantly while maintaining the blockchain's security model. Although Leios is still under development and is expected later in 2026, Version 11 delivers much of the infrastructure required for that transition.