Key Takeaways:
- Cardano Foundation DRep has completed voting on all 39 treasury withdrawal proposals worth 275 million ADA.
- Most proposals received “YES”, while some received “ABSTAIN” due to process misalignment, not content objection.
- Smart contracts will govern fund disbursement, with payments conditional on milestone delivery.
In a major governance milestone for Cardano, the Cardano Foundation DRep has concluded votes on 39 proposals representing a cumulative treasury allocation of 275 million ADA. These proposals span infrastructure, research, ecosystem expansion, and community growth—marking a crucial step in the execution of Cardano’s 2025 Vision. All funding will be handled through automated smart contracts, reinforcing transparency and accountability.
39 Proposals, One Strategic Vision
This batch of proposals—approved as Treasury Withdrawal Governance Actions (TWGAs)—comes under the new decentralized governance structure established by Intersect, Cardano’s member-based organization. All 39 proposals were assessed against the Foundation’s publicly declared evaluation framework.
The Cardano Foundation cast “YES” votes for the majority of proposals, particularly those focused on core development, zero-cost funding models, ZK technology, real-world asset integration, and improved developer infrastructure. Such proposals as Catalyst 2025 community fund, the growth of stable coins and fiat ramps, Tokenized real estate projects were strongly supported.
Nevertheless, a number of proposals such as hardware wallet maintenance, PyCardano, and some of the developer tools got “ABSTAIN” votes. These were not rejected on technical merit but rather due to procedural gaps or unmet evaluation criteria such as weak execution plans or unclear deliverables.3
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How the Voting System Works
DRep and CC Approval Thresholds
To be approved, each governance action must pass two layers of validation:
- A 67% supermajority from participating DReps by stake weight.
- Approval from at least 5 out of 7 members of the interim Constitutional Committee (adjusted for abstentions).
DReps have four voting options: YES, NO, ABSTAIN, or not voting with “not voting” treated functionally as a “NO.” The voting window remains open until Epoch 576 (August 17, 2025), though proposals can be ratified earlier if thresholds are met.
The votes by Cardano Foundation DRep have recorded reasoning behind the vote, which proves the high degree of transparency and being a key in the field of governance.
Smart Contracts as the Backbone of Accountability
Automatic smart contracts disbursements will be imposed to all accepted proposals. This mechanism designed in collaboration with Sundae Labs links the distribution of funds to the accomplishment of milestones. In case of a failed deliverable, the smart contract can can suspend or call back subsequent payments.
It also ensures project teams are contractually bound to their roadmaps, reducing the risk of abandoned or under-delivered initiatives.
Highlights: Funded Proposals and Strategic Priorities
Infrastructure and Tooling
Several proposals centered on improving Cardano’s base tools:
- zkFold ZK Rollup – Further scalability and privacy improvements
- UTxO RPC and Pallas – Important Rust tooling for intergration
- Blockfrost Platform – Enabling fast, scalable API access for developers
- MLabs – Upkeep and improvement of basic tooling in elliptic curve advancement
Ecosystem Growth
Important outlines are geared towards enhancing the presence of Cardano:
- Tokenized Real Estate (RWA) – connecting the high-yield traditional investments to the blockchain world
- Stablecoin Support & Fiat Ramps – Increasing accessible on/off-ramp space
- Cardano Pavilion – Hosting local events of the protocol in the region
- Global Events Marketing Strategy – Coordinated promotion of Cardano worldwide
Governance and Decentralization
- Intersect DAO – Giving Structure to Cardano as a Member Led Organization
- Catalyst 2025 – Next phase of community funding including decentralized governance
- Beyond Minimum Viable Governance – Upgrading the Voltaire system to be long-lasting
Innovation and Research
- Input Output Research – ABSTAIN for lack of strategic clarity
- Complete Web3 Developer Stack – Ambitious vision to make Cardano the smart contract layer for Bitcoin
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The New Era of Treasury Management
The shift to a smart contract and Delegated Representatives approach to fund disbursement is another sign that Cardano is maturing towards a fully transparent and decentralized ecosystem. Why 2025 Budget Cycle is a Test That’s an epic experiment in collaboration, structured evaluation, and automated accountability.
This governance framework, while still evolving is expected to influence other ecosystems aiming to build community-led, trustless funding mechanisms.
Intersect’s role as the budget administrator ensures legal and operational follow-through once funding approvals are finalized. From vendor onboarding to contract activation, the group will oversee the final steps before the first ADA is released.
