Welcome to Intersect development update #56! This week, we cover the final call for Intersect committee election registrations, the development of smart contracts for budget oversight, and the latest from global events and community hubs. You’ll also find updates on GovTool enhancements, delivery assurance milestones, and new budget proposals that live through our open governance tools. Let’s dive in.

Intersect committee elections - one week left!

As we move into the final week for committee election registrations, we want to highlight the importance of Intersect committees. Intersect committees specialize in their respective areas to offer precise and valuable advice. Their role includes assisting proposers in developing governance actions, facilitating community discussions on social media platforms, and answering inquiries transparently. The goal is to ensure clear understanding and broad community support before enacting governance actions.

We strongly encourage all members to participate as candidates and, especially, as voters when the voting period arrives on April 16. We will publish detailed instructions on voting in the coming days, so watch out for that!

Election timeline:

• Applications open: March 24 – April 11
• Voting preparation & quality checks: April 12 – April 15
• Voting period: April 16 – May 7
• Results collated & reviewed: May 8 – May 11
• Election results announced: May 12

We’ve made this extension to ensure that everyone who wants to contribute to the Intersect community has the opportunity to get involved.

Also, check out this table showing the seats available compared to the applications received so far—there’s still room to make your voice heard!

Committee elections: How to get involved

If you are passionate about Cardano’s mission and have expertise in a relevant area, consider running for a committee seat or participating in the voting process.

We encourage you to apply as a candidate if you have the expertise, passion, and availability! Ideal candidates should:

✅ Be committed to Cardano’s vision (empowering the powerless, banking the unbanked, and connecting the unconnected).
✅ Have domain-specific expertise in a relevant committee.
✅ Be available for up to 20 monthly hours (virtual meetings, chats, emails).

Steps to apply

1️⃣ Download the application pack and watch the tutorial video
2️⃣ Log in to the Intersect member area
3️⃣ Navigate to the "Voting" section
4️⃣ Select the committee you wish to apply for
5️⃣ Submit your application before April 11

Committee spotlights and election AMAs
In upcoming spotlight sessions and AMAs, you can interact directly with committee members, ask questions, and learn about their work. You can find a complete list of events by following the link. 

Next week’s sessions: 

• Tuesday, April 8th, 5 pm UTC: Register here
• Thursday, April 10th, 11 am UTC: Register here 

Budget proposals are flying in!

Throughout March and up until April 24th, the community can submit proposals that directly support the delivery of the proposed product roadmap if they wish to be included in the first round of Intersect’s facilitated 2025 Cardano Budget. Additionally, any open ideas or proposals, including committee proposals, can now be submitted via GovTool!

After April 24th, the community can still submit proposals; however, these will be considered for the following Budget Info Action. 

Our main knowledge base continues to be updated as we share the latest progress, incoming proposals, committee feedback, FAQs, and more - jump in and bookmark.

Proposals are now public
Since 1 April, a new dashboard has been created in Cardano GovTool to publicly display the proposals received. This gives committees and the community an early opportunity to give feedback ahead of online reconciliation events at the end of April and in early May.

There are over 75 proposals currently out for community and committee review:

• Core: 24
• Governance Support: 9
• Marketing and Innovation: 29
• Research: 5
• None of these: 9

In mid-April, stake-based weighting will be available in GovTool for DReps who want to support budget-building, enabling them to begin signaling which proposals they’d like to see included in a Budget Info Action before it heads on-chain.

Have you (or your DRep) voted on the current Net-Change-Limit?

If managed prudently, Cardano’s treasury (~1.7B ada) can drive meaningful growth. The Budget Committee’s Net Change Limit (NCL)- inspired by sovereign wealth fund principles - is now live on-chain to ensure long-term sustainability and balanced ecosystem development. 

Please cast your vote on the NCL and move the ecosystem closer to unlocking funding priorities. 

Upcoming budget workshops 

Orientation and proposal review-based workshops will take place throughout April, empowering DReps to explore proposals and deliberate with peers. During this time, Committees and vendors will be able to support DReps in casting initial up/down votes on individual proposals (non-binding) and gather category-level guidance on budget scope, priorities, and success metrics. These workshops will help identify key questions or gaps that will need to be followed up on before reconciliation. All workshops will be run twice to accommodate time zone overlaps.

The first session will provide an overview and a deeper dive into the process, including how Intersect can fulfill its role as an Administrator and how the smart contract design is shaping up. We’d love your feedback on our progress so we can keep refining the approach.

The first workshop will be held on April 10 (4–7 pm UTC) and April 11 (2–5 am UTC).

RSVP now 

Alternatively, you can subscribe to our Lu.ma calendar to be notified of the first workshop and future events!

The use of Smart Contracts as part of the Budget Process

As part of the changes to the budget process, a Smart Contract working group has been established under the Budget committee to oversee the development of new smart contract solutions to support the management of funds from the treasury. This solution is coordinated through Intersect and developed with Input Output | Global, SundaeLabs, and Xerberus.  Creating a new smart contract with multiple oversight signers offers the necessary checks and balances for funding disbursements and enhances vendor stability. Recognizing the importance of demonstrating blockchain's promise, this approach ensures greater transparency in fund disbursements, allowing ada holders to self-audit the flow of funds from the Cardano Treasury.

‘Development of Cardano Blockchain ecosystem budgets and the administration of such budgets shall utilize, to the extent possible and beneficial, smart contracts and other blockchain-based tools to facilitate decision-making and ensure transparency.’ Article 4, section 2 of the Cardano constitution

The smart contract will serve as an oversight control mechanism, with the ability to pause payments to vendors for just cause, such as contract breaches. 

Where we’re at
SundaeLabs and Xerberus are carrying out development, and the project is currently in the development phase. The top-level requirements include the following:

• Vendor contracts will be contracted directly from a “Treasury Reserve” contract.
• An Oversight Committee will oversee the smart contracts, consisting of individuals and organizations (committees, vendors, auditors).
• Milestones will be automatically paid upon reaching the contracted milestone date (fail-open) unless halted by the approved oversight committee.
• The Oversight Committee will be responsible for:
  1. The approval of milestone completion, with the ability to pause payments to vendors for just cause, such as a breach of contract or delivery failure.
  2. The ability to amend contractual information in the smart contract, with approval from both the vendor and the Oversight Committee.

Over the coming weeks, the Smart Contract working group and Budget committee will workshop the current design with the proposers who have requested Intersect as their Administrator and the broader community to gather feedback on the design and subsequent dashboards being created. 

Cardano Civics committee

The Cardano Civics committees have published a Budget Guidance document. With proposals now underway, this document is a vital resource to help proposers and DReps align with the key budget priorities of Cardano governance.

Apologies for the incorrect link in our previous post - 122 of you clicked through, so we want to ensure you have the right one! You can access the complete guidance here: Civics Committee Budget Guidance 2025

DReps weekly meeting - supporting delegated representatives with the budget process.

Throughout April, we will continue our weekly meetings for DReps to support the budget process.

These sessions occur every Wednesday at 2 PM BST and are an excellent opportunity to stay informed and ask questions. Lloyd and Lawrence will join us weekly to share updates and address budget-related queries. Don’t miss out—register here to join the conversation and stay involved!

Constitution

The CC Election Working Group is actively moving forward with the election process. The group has established a dedicated Luma calendar for "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) sessions to facilitate open communication and quickly address community questions.

These sessions will be held every Tuesday at 10:00 UTC and every Friday at 16:00 UTC, providing consistent opportunities for community members to participate in discussions, seek clarification, and contribute to developing election approaches. The Luma calendar, accessible here, allows for easy scheduling and participation.

Adding to the momentum, Intersect recently hosted an X Space featuring ICC members, governance Gurus Mike Hornan and Jose DeGamboa, and other dedicated community members. Here, we discussed different election models, ensuring the system is inclusive and technically sound, and On-chain voter verification and audits. 

You can listen to the recording here.

Membership and community

We’re excited to welcome Artes Juris as the newest Enterprise Member of Intersect! Their addition marks a significant milestone—our 50th Enterprise Member—and a moment worth celebrating. 

As a team deeply engaged in legal and regulatory innovation, Artes Juris is already exploring ways to contribute, including applying for the Budget Committee in the upcoming elections.

Here’s to growing stronger together—onward and upward!

On that note, here are our latest membership numbers:



Enterprise membership spotlight: Awen LLC

 

Awen LLC is a creative technology studio driving innovation at the crossroads of governance, the creator economy, and emerging tech. With a strong focus on empowering creators and enhancing audience experiences, Awen delivers impactful solutions through platforms like Tikit (event ticketing) and Sync.Land (music licensing marketplace) and Valt (token-gated digital collectibles). Their work goes beyond digital products—Awen has hosted over 20 events in 2024 alone and collaborated with leading Web3 organizations, including Stand with Crypto, Project Catalyst, Intersect, and ETH Chicago. As an Intersect Enterprise Member, Awen brings creative energy and practical tools to the evolving Cardano ecosystem.

Events

Cardano India Developer Summit 2025

The Cardano India Developer Summit 2025 brought together an astonishing lineup of developers, investors, and ecosystem leaders at the IIT Kharagpur Research Park, NewTown, on March 29.

We were honored to have Debashis Sen (Former Additional Chief Secretary, IT Dept., Govt. of West Bengal) as our Chief Guest. He discussed blockchain’s potential in solar-powered mining, digital art NFTs, and smart contracts for rural microfinance.

Anuj Chaudhary from EMURGO walked the audience through the evolution from Web to Web3, shared insights from the Cardano India report, and encouraged builders to invest their time in the Web3 space.

Abhik Nag, representing Intersect, spoke on the importance of on-chain governance and open source and how Intersect supports Cardano’s growth through grants and community-driven innovation.

Big thanks to Udai Solanki for hosting and making the event a great success.

🎥 Watch the event preview: YouTube

India is rising fast in Cardano’s global journey—this is just the beginning!

Join us after hours at the Blockchain event in Paris

Heading to Paris Blockchain Week? Make space in your schedule for an evening with the Cardano community — relaxed, vibrant, and energetic.

​On April 10, we’re gathering at the iconic Le Comptoir Général — a bar with unforgettable character, music, and atmosphere. Expect:

​🍸 Free drink vouchers for early arrivals

🎶 Good music, good people, and good vibes

🌍 A chance to connect with Cardano & Web3 builders, creators, and curious minds

Intersect co-hosts a relaxed community gathering during Paris Blockchain Week on April 10 at 7:00 PM, alongside partners Clay Nation and Onboard Ninja. This side event reflects our broader shift toward community-first, collaborative engagements, focusing on authentic in-person connections rather than high-cost conference activations.

Register here and join us for an evening of celebrations!

Community hubs

Last week, our Sri Lanka hub, led by CoinCeylon, ran its monthly town hall with 92 attendees. The event focused on updates from the Sri Lanka hub, highlighting ongoing educational workshops at local universities and governance engagement initiatives. The event also featured guest speakers from the broader Cardano ecosystem, including Yuri Hayashi Kuriyama (JPG Store Marketing Head for Japan & Japan Hub Co-Manager), Patrick Tobler (Founder/CEO, NMKR), and Nathan Kanapi (Community & Project Lead at Discover Cardano). Each speaker shared insights on community growth, product development, and onboarding diverse user bases. The session concluded with an engaging Q&A and community discussion on expanding local participation and cross-hub collaboration. You can watch the recording here.

This week, our community hubs are hosting the following events:

Japan hub

• X Space is to be held on April 4 at noon UTC. The link to join is here.

Sri Lanka hub, led by CoinCeylon

• Our Sri Lanka hub held its third university workshop at the University of Kelaniya, ‘Mastering Blockchain Technology and Building on Cardano: From Fundamentals to Real-World Applications’. The workshop explored how to build on Cardano, mint NFTs on testnet, IPFS, and more, with positive energy and curiosity from students! You can watch the highlights from the event here.

Africa hub, led by WADA

• Our Africa hub held a ‘Relevance of African DReps’ Participation’ event on April 3, to explore the vital role of African DReps in shaping Cardano’s governance and the future of decentralized decision-making, with 124 attendees! The event featured a panel discussion with eight active African DReps, exploring the current landscape, key challenges, and ideas to strengthen participation within Cardano governance. You can watch the recording here.

North America hub, led by AWEN

• A Town Hall was held on March 31, with 80 attendees. The event focused on Intersect elections and featured candidates from the Open Source, Technical Steering, Civics, and Product Committees, who engaged in lively discussions about their roles. Community members provided valuable feedback, shedding light on how these committees contribute to the broader Cardano ecosystem. You can listen to the recording here.

Open source 

The open source office has committed to providing regular reports regarding the health and maturity of Cardano’s development. We work closely with our metrics partner, Bitergia, to compile these reports. Check out our public dashboard here if you ever wish to look at the data independently. We are pleased to announce that reports for 2025 have been completed and are available for review here. The reports for the remainder of 2024 have also been updated and can be found here. 

If you have any questions regarding open source development metrics, please contact us at oso@intersectmbo.org. As always, you can stay current by following @IntersectOSO on X or subscribing to our YouTube channel.

Last week, the Cardano India Developer Summit was a huge success. We are grateful to work with Udai Solanki, as his efforts in the community continue to grow. 

Udai Solanki's interview with Abhik Nag on Open Source: Watch here

This week, the open source office connects with Cardano Development Ecosystem Cooperative (CDEC) and the Cardano Builder DAO. Catch up on our recent Cardano spotlights! Don’t forget to subscribe and be notified about our latest releases, including our bi-weekly open source committee meetings!

CDEC Spotlight: Watch here

Cardano Builder DAO: Watch here

Delivery assurance

Here is an update from 2024 contracts with outstanding work to complete.

Well-Typed - have completed milestones 9 & 10 against the LSM contract.

Milestone 9 – Snapshots and Table Merges

‘Well-Typed is developing an on-disk data storage component intended to be used in Cardano to help Cardano scale to much larger numbers of accounts and UTXO sizes while preserving good system performance. In previous milestones, we have implemented the component’s public API, covering basic key/value operations like lookups, inserts and deletes, and other features including cursors, range requests and “BLOB”s.

In this milestone, we extended the public API to support making persistent, durable snapshots of tables, which can be restored later. We have also implemented a table union/merge feature to combine tables more or less instantly and do the real merging work later and incrementally.

 Snapshots are necessary to enable the Cardano node to stop and restart quickly and reliably once the node has been modified to store the UTXO and other significant parts of the ledger state on disk. The table union/merge feature is intended to support the instant payouts of rewards at the Cardano epoch boundary. This avoids stalling the ledger at the epoch boundary while rewards are paid out.’

Milestone 10 – I/O fault testing and platform support

‘Well-Typed is developing an on-disk data storage component intended to be used in Cardano to help Cardano scale to much larger numbers of accounts and UTXO sizes while preserving good system performance. In previous milestones, we have implemented the component’s public API, covering basic key/value operations like lookups, inserts, and deletes, as well as other features, including snapshots and table unions.

In this milestone, we have demonstrated that the LSM code is robust in the presence of I/O errors, which is crucial to overall Cardano node robustness. Tests that run within an I/O simulation and fault injection framework—the same framework used by other Cardano disk subcomponents—can verify this now and in the future.

We have also demonstrated that the automated tests (which cover all the functional requirements) are run in continuous integration (CI) on all three platforms supported by the Cardano node: Linux, OSX, and Windows.’

For any 2025 contracts, you will find further updates shared here:

TSC - Technical steering committee contracts
MCC -Membership & Community committee contracts
CCC - Civics Committee contracts
CPC - Product committee contracts
CBC - Budget committee  contracts
GMC - Growth and marketing committee contracts
OSC - Open source committee contracts

Governance tooling

GovTool development made significant strides this week with the release of the budget proposal feature, enabling users to connect their wallets and submit proposals directly through the platform. Existing proposals from the Intersect website form were successfully imported, and proposers were contacted to link their wallets for proper attribution. The teams discussed improvements to proposal discoverability, including adding filters and enhancing the landing page display. Community feedback was a central theme, with a consensus to route suggestions through the in-app feedback button to automatically generate GitHub issues. Additional enhancements under discussion include more precise form labels and a stepper UI component.

In addition to feature work, GovTool version 2.0.18 was released last week, bringing key backend and UI improvements. This update includes CSL 14 integration, ensuring compatibility with the latest Cardano serialization library, and Governance Action Outcomes 1.30, which delivers further refinements to the governance action details page—especially around improved design and traceability back to original off-chain discussions. API access for external tools is now available, and developers have a clear integration timeline as the team pushes forward with supporting sentiment voting in upcoming releases.

Governance in numbers

As we press ahead following Plomin, follow the progress of governance actions on-chain here every week. Since Friday, March 28, 2025: 

• We've advanced from epoch 548 to epoch 549
• Unique delegators increased by 2571 (146,412 -> 148,983)
• The total number of vote delegations increased by 3256 (164,323 -> 167,579)
• Total DRep votes increased by 124 (1914 -> 2038)
• The total number of DRep registrations increased by 5 (1197 -> 1202)
• DReps who have attached metadata increased by 5 (737 -> 742)

To learn how to start using Cardano GovTool, explore GovTool documentation. Here, you'll find everything from step-by-step guides to detailed explanations of its features.

On the Intersect Discord server, you can connect to the core maintainers of governance tools via the new request and new help & support channels under Core Governance Tools in Discord. 

Governance tools working group

This week’s working group call focused on the launch and feedback around the new budget proposal feature in GovTool. The team discussed the import of existing proposals, wallet linking for proposers, and manual reassignment of ownership. Feedback was shared on improving proposal discoverability, clarifying form fields, and enhancing the UI, leading to suggestions like adding filters and a stepper. The group agreed that the best way to get feedback is using the feedback button to create GitHub issues and considered a short review session to refine the form. API access for external tools is now available, with integration expected in the coming days.

GovTool is fully open source and maintained by Intersect members. The working group continues to invite community members to participate in discussions and feature development for the Cardano GovTool. All feedback is welcome (see guide on feedback), and ongoing conversations are held in the wg-governance-tools Discord channel, where new feature ideas are regularly triaged and implemented.

Important member resources

• Do you want to catch up with the latest happenings with the Cardano budget, constitution, and hard forks? This page is for you!
• Intersect knowledge base - our frequently updated knowledge base provides granular detail on our internal governance structure, committees and working groups, funding opportunities, and other topics.
• Intersect website - the latest news, roadmap, and more.
• GovTool - take part in testing governance actions on the SanchoNet testnet.
• Intersect events calendar - keep up-to-date with all events Intersect hosts, such as working group and committee meetings, X spaces, and more.
• Support - Please always use your membership email address and contact Intersect for support with any application errors, login issues, or questions without answers.
• Social: Join our lively community and interact with committees, working groups, and other members on Discord. We are also continually active on Twitter (X) and LinkedIn, so follow us there to stay updated on our latest news and insights.

Well, that’s it for this week's update. Thanks for reading! 

Finally, we’d like to hear more from you about subjects important to you, such as Cardano’s governance. Your ideas and suggestions are crucial to us. If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions, please get in touch via email, X, or LinkedIn.