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<p>The upcoming Cardano hard fork scheduled around May 29 is arriving at a difficult moment for the network. Crypto markets no longer reward blockchain projects for technical roadmaps alone. Investors now expect active developers, rising liquidity, and real application usage. That shift has placed Cardano under growing pressure as weak ADA DeFi activity continues trailing behind competing ecosystems.</p>
<p>According to the source, Cardano’s Protocol Version 11 upgrade, known as Van Rossem, introduces cheaper Plutus scripts, stronger cryptographic infrastructure, and governance improvements designed to help the network compete more aggressively with Ethereum and Solana. Yet the success of the Cardano hard fork may ultimately depend less on engineering and more on whether developers and users finally show up.</p>
<h2 id="ogmios-delays-turn-the-cardano-hard-fork-into-a-governance-stress-test">Ogmios Delays Turn the Cardano Hard Fork Into a Governance Stress Test</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://deythere.com/cardanos-80-spo-threshold-could-mark-a-key-mainnet-turning-point/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Cardano hard fork</a> already cleared the Preview testnet stage earlier this month, but uncertainty still surrounds the final rollout. Intersect submitted the governance action for PreProd activation on May 8. However, the Hard Fork Working Group refused to fully ratify the proposal because of concerns surrounding Ogmios readiness.</p>
<p>Ogmios serves as a critical infrastructure layer connecting wallets, decentralized applications, and developer tools to the Cardano blockchain. If Ogmios readiness slips further, the May 29 target could face delays. That risk has transformed the Cardano hard fork into a real-time governance coordination test under Cardano’s Conway-era framework.</p>
<p>The network currently remains in governance bootstrapping mode. Under existing rules, only stake pool operators and the Constitutional Committee can vote on the upgrade, while DReps remain excluded for now.</p>
<h2 id="plutus-and-zk-upgrades-aim-to-strengthen-ada-defi-infrastructure">Plutus and ZK Upgrades Aim to Strengthen ADA DeFi Infrastructure</h2>
<p>The Van Rossem release introduces Cardano’s deepest Plutus modifications so far. Built-in functions now work across Plutus V1, V2, and V3 environments, helping developers create applications with lower execution costs and more consistent functionality.</p>
<p>The Cardano hard fork also introduces CIP-133, which adds BLS12-381 multi-scalar multiplication support. This cryptographic feature powers zero-knowledge proofs, privacy systems, and cross-chain verification tools. Testing showed that MSM operations involving 10 G1 points consumed roughly 7.74% of a transaction’s computational budget, while operations exceeding 129 points surpassed the limits of a single transaction.</p>
<p>By adding MSM as a native built-in, Cardano hopes developers can build privacy-focused decentralized applications more efficiently. According to recent ecosystem<a href="https://coinmarketcal.com/en/news/cardano-s-may-29-hard-fork-vote-brings-ada-s-defi-weakness-into-view?" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> reports</a>, these upgrades already connect to the Halo2-Plutus verifier and the Midnight-Cardano ZK bridge roadmap through Cardano’s broader zero-knowledge infrastructure push.</p>
<p>Another major addition arrives through CIP-109 modular exponentiation. Existing cryptographic calculations currently consume between 5% and 9% of Cardano’s CPU budget. The new implementation lowers transaction size and execution costs for complex cryptographic applications.</p>
<p>Supporters believe these tools could eventually improve ADA DeFi growth by giving developers cheaper and more scalable infrastructure.</p>
<p><img src="https://deythere.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2-16.jpg" alt="ADA DeFi" width="1920" height="1080" title="Cardano Hard Fork Van Rossem Upgrade Targets Plutus and ZK Improvements 54"></p>
<h2 id="cardano-s-usage-gap-still-overshadows-the-upgrade">Cardano’s Usage Gap Still Overshadows the Upgrade</h2>
<p>Despite the technical progress, weak ADA DeFi activity remains Cardano’s largest problem. The network currently holds around $129 million in total value locked compared to more than $6 billion on Solana and nearly $43 billion on Ethereum.</p>
<p>Stablecoin liquidity also remains thin. Cardano’s stablecoin market cap sits near $46.7 million, limiting the ecosystem’s ability to support lending, trading, and decentralized liquidity activity. Analysts tracking on-chain liquidity metrics through <span>recent blockchain <a href="https://defillama.com/chain/Cardano?" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">data</a></span> continue pointing toward this imbalance as a major weakness.</p>
<p>The valuation gap creates even greater pressure. Cardano trades near a 72x market-cap-to-TVL ratio, while Solana sits near 8x and Ethereum around 6x. That leaves little room for disappointment if the Cardano hard fork fails to generate stronger adoption.</p>
<p>Ethereum’s Layer 2 networks also continue raising the competitive pressure. According to L2BEAT data, Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystems now secure roughly $40.3 billion in value, with rollups alone accounting for nearly $33.5 billion. That dominance shows how quickly scalable blockchain infrastructure is evolving outside Cardano’s ecosystem.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>The Cardano hard fork arrives as both a technical milestone and a credibility test. Van Rossem introduces stronger cryptographic infrastructure, cheaper smart contract execution, governance coordination upgrades, and tighter network security. However, modern crypto markets increasingly reward execution over ambition.</p>
<p>If developers embrace these tools and ADA DeFi activity expands, Cardano could strengthen its position in the evolving blockchain economy. If adoption remains slow, the upgrade risks becoming another technically advanced release waiting for meaningful users and liquidity to follow.</p>
<h2 id="glossary-of-key-terms">Glossary of Key Terms</h2>
<p><strong>Plutus:</strong> Cardano’s smart contract development platform.</p>
<p><strong>TVL:</strong> Total value locked across decentralized finance applications.</p>
<p><strong>Zero-Knowledge Proofs:</strong> Cryptographic systems that protect privacy while verifying information.</p>
<p><strong>VRF Key:</strong> A validator key used by Cardano stake pools.</p>
<p><strong>Rollups:</strong> Ethereum Layer 2 systems designed to improve scalability and reduce costs.</p>
<h2 id="faqs-about-cardano-hard-fork">FAQs About Cardano Hard Fork</h2>
<h3 id="what-is-the-cardano-hard-fork">What is the Cardano hard fork?</h3>
<p>It is Cardano’s upcoming Protocol Version 11 upgrade focused on governance, security, and smart contract improvements.</p>
<h3 id="why-does-ogmios-matter">Why does Ogmios matter?</h3>
<p>Ogmios helps wallets and decentralized applications interact with the Cardano blockchain infrastructure.</p>
<h3 id="why-is-ada-defi-still-weak">Why is ADA DeFi still weak?</h3>
<p>Cardano continues struggling with lower liquidity, stablecoin supply, and user activity compared to Ethereum and Solana.</p>
<h3 id="what-role-do-zero-knowledge-tools-play">What role do zero-knowledge tools play?</h3>
<p>They support privacy applications, cross-chain verification, and scalable blockchain infrastructure.</p>
<h3 id="sources-references">Sources/References</h3>
<p><a href="https://defillama.com/chain/Cardano?" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Defillama</a></p>
<p><a href="https://coinmarketcal.com/en/news/cardano-s-may-29-hard-fork-vote-brings-ada-s-defi-weakness-into-view?" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coinmarketcal</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.mexc.com/news/1100424?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">MEXC</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.bitget.com/news/detail/12560605418121?" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bitget</a></p>
<p><a href="https://x.com/IntersectMBO/status/2056113057781465123?" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">X</a></p>

Cardano Hard Fork Van Rossem Upgrade Targets Plutus and ZK Improvements

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