Cardano launches Van Rossem hard fork: major upgrade

Cardano’s Van Rossem hard fork is live, bringing Protocol Version 11, cheaper smart contracts, and enhanced governance. The upgrade sets the stage for future growth and coincides with bullish technical signals.

Cardano has successfully activated the Van Rossem hard fork, upgrading its network to Protocol Version 11. This milestone introduces significant technical and governance enhancements, marking the first protocol upgrade fully approved through onchain governance. Voting participation included delegate representatives, stake pool operators, and the Constitutional Committee. The upgrade delivers new Plutus features, enabling faster and cheaper smart contract execution, improved cryptographic primitives, enhanced data access, and better multi-asset handling. The transition was seamless, causing no disruption to users, and coincided with a golden cross on Cardano’s hourly chart—a bullish technical indicator. Looking ahead, the upgrade prepares Cardano for the upcoming Dijkstra era and the Ouroboros Leios consensus protocol. Market sentiment is cautiously optimistic, with ADA price stability and steady inflows. However, a break above $0.17 is needed to unlock further gains.