Welcome to Intersect Update #111

This update covers continued progress toward the van Rossem hard fork, developments across the 2026 Budget Process and Constitutional Committee elections, new governance working group activity, and wider ecosystem coordination taking place across Cardano. We also share the publication of the Cardano Critical Integrations V1 close-out report, ongoing governance discussions, and upcoming community sessions taking place next week.

Taken together, these developments reflect a broader shift underway across Cardano: governance, infrastructure, and ecosystem coordination increasingly operating not as isolated efforts, but as interconnected systems supporting a network to be proud of:

Contributors: Bosko M, Kevin H, Hard Fork Working Group, Parameter Committee, Intersect Technical Steering Committee

Cardano Upgrades

Progress across the hard fork program continued this week with successful activity on Preview testnet, now operating under Protocol Version 11.

PreProd testnet Plutus Cost Model (PCM) update was enacted May 16 at 0000 UTC and PreProd hard fork GA is on-chain and ready. Developers are highly encouraged to test their settings against the PCM increases to some existing values ahead of progression to mainnet.

Preparation work is underway for mainnet Plutus Cost Model Update, with submission date to be announced in the next week.

Node v11.0.1: Cardano-node v11.0.1 has been out for a few weeks, and is the version capable of progressing through and operating beyond the Protocol Version 11 hard fork boundary. Please upgrade your infrastructure to this version.

DB-Sync: DB-Sync v13.7.0.5 has also been cleared for use on all networks, providing compatibility with node v11.0.1 and supporting downstream ecosystem upgrades.

Timeline:

Preview testnet: Successfully upgraded on May 8 following enactment of the hard fork initiation governance action submitted on May 5.

PreProd testnet: The hard fork initiation governance action was submitted on May 8; however, the Hard Fork Working Group has not yet recommended ratification/enactment, pending resolution of readiness concerns around Ogmios, which is currently considered a critical ecosystem dependency. Community teams, including engineers from Input Output, are currently collaborating on PRs to resolve these issues so that progress can continue with the hard fork.

Mainnet: Plutus Cost Model update submission currently anticipated for next week following release of benchmarking data. Hard fork governance action submission is targeted for May 29, dependent on testnet progress.

Operational aspect: The Hard Fork Working Group continues operating on its twice-weekly meeting cadence to maintain coordination and momentum throughout the ongoing integration and rollout phases.

Readiness tracking has been collaboratively maintained during the working group calls to better reflect overall ecosystem preparedness.

In Memory of Max van Rossem: “...Max shaped the constitutional bedrock of on-chain governance. He served as a member and co-lead of the Constitutional Committee Election Working Group at Intersect, which delivered the first fully elected Constitutional Committee. He represented the Dutch community as a DRep and as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was a driving force behind the inclusion of Article VIII in the Cardano Constitution. He was a core contributor to the framework of the Beyond MVG "State of Governance" report, helping the community to see itself clearly and to visualise what comes next.….”

Ecosystem readiness is being updated on a daily basis, and you can track it via van Rossem upgrade readiness.

There is also the van Rossem Upgrade Update slide deck where you can get familiar with where do we currently stand, timeline, checklist, what's included in the van Rossem upgrade and why it matters.

Contributors: Thomas L, Ian H, Larisa McF, Intersect, Seomon R, Civics Committee

Constitutional Committee Election

The CC plays a unique role in the ecosystem. It is not tasked with deciding what is popular, profitable, or politically convenient. Its responsibility is to assess whether governance actions align with the Cardano Constitution and the guardrails agreed upon by the community.

That responsibility requires more than technical knowledge alone.

Cardano benefits from having a Constitutional Committee made up of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Developers, governance contributors, operators, legal experts, researchers, community leaders, and independent thinkers all bring valuable viewpoints to constitutional interpretation and governance oversight.

A healthy governance system should not depend on a small circle of familiar voices. It should remain open to new participants who are willing to engage seriously, think critically, and contribute constructively to the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem.

If you have been considering becoming more involved in Cardano governance, this is an opportunity to step forward.

Registration for candidates remains open until 9:45PM UTC, June 7th.

Weekly AMA sessions are also being hosted for anyone who needs assistance with the application process or has questions about the role and responsibilities of the Constitutional Committee.

Registration: https://hydra-voting.intersectmbo.org/

Documentation and resources: https://docs.hydra-voting.intersectmbo.org/

AMA sessions: https://luma.com/intersect?tag=constitutional%20committee

Civics Committee Updates

This week, the civics committee focused on welcoming new committee members, administrative transitions and updates from the working groups.

Introducing: Governance Incentives Working Group:

The Governance Incentives Working Group, operating within Civics Committee remit, has been established as a coordination space for people and initiatives working on governance incentives in Cardano. The group’s purpose is to connect related efforts, identify synergies, reduce duplicated work, and help move the ecosystem toward more coherent, evidence-based approaches to incentives for governance actors such as DReps, Constitutional Committee members, SPOs, delegators, voters, and other contributors.

The group will initially focus on mapping the existing landscape of governance incentive initiatives, including CIPs and CPSs, research papers, DRep compensation proposals, governance health work, tooling initiatives, community discussions, and even lessons from other DAO governance systems outside our ecosystem. The goal is to understand what already exists, where initiatives overlap, what gaps remain, and how different contributors can collaborate more effectively.

The group is also holding discussions around emerging incentive ideas, including DRep compensation, delegator incentives, anti-concentration mechanisms, rationale quality, and the risks of poorly designed reward systems.
The Governance Incentives Working Group currently meets on Tuesdays, 12:00 UTC

Community members interested and especially the ones working on governance incentives, research, tooling, or practical implementation are welcome to join the conversation and help shape the next steps of Cardano's governance incentives.

Constitutional Amendment Process (CAP) WG:

Technical barriers arose during the working group call this week regarding the portal's implementation. These findings will be further discussed next week to determine if the project needs to move to a dedicated database or if an alternative path is more suitable.

The CAP working group meets weekly on Thursdays at 9:00 AM UTC

Governance Health WG:

It was suggested to reopen this working group to focus on long-term governance tracking. A primary goal under consideration is establishing a structured exit interview process to capture the experiences and feedback of outgoing Constitutional Committee members.

We invite the community to engage with these working groups.

Recently closed governance actions

Live governance actions*

Treasury Withdrawal Proposals

*data from 2026-05-15 at 0900 UTC

Contributors: Simo S, Budget committee, Duncan S, Abbie Y, Intersect

Budget Process Update

The 2026 Budget Process is progressing and is currently in the final review and feedback phase. During this stage, proposals are live and visible to DReps and the wider community, and proposers are expected to actively engage, gather feedback, and refine their submissions.

With the submission window now closed, the focus turns now to iteration and improvement. Proposers are encouraged to actively promote their proposals and engage directly with DReps to gather meaningful input and strengthen proposals ahead of voting.

This phase will continue until May 22, after which proposals will be finalized and move into the Hydra voting phase via Ekklesia.

👉 View live proposals and participate on the Hydra Voting platform.

Administration Services Hub

Within the new Administration Services Hub, there is an AI feature where you can ask anything related to the Administration services we offer. For example; ‘How to withdraw milestone payments?’ or, ‘What is a Third Party Assurer?’ etc. Check out our X post video clip showing you how to use this function.
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Delivery Assurance

Following IOG's announcement of the cancellation of the Acropolis project, Intersect has now successfully completed the cancellation of the outstanding milestones within the smart contract.

This cancellation has seen a total of 1,448,574 ada successfully returned to the treasury.

Governance in Cardano increasingly moves from theory to operational reality, and that has been visible across multiple areas of the ecosystem this week. Work has continued simultaneously across van Rossem upgrade coordination, live treasury withdrawal proposals, a 2026 Budget Process, Constitutional Committee election preparation, and broader efforts to strengthen governance processes as participation scales.

Intersect has also published a follow-up statement on the April 2026 committee elections. The process remains focused on protecting election integrity while ensuring affected members are treated fairly through individual review. Further progressions are being considered for future elections, including clearer verification requirements, participation pathways, audit tooling, and process refinements. You can read the Board Statement on this for further information.

Intersect will also host a public X Space on Monday at 15:00 UTC focused on the future of Critical Integrations and the direction of CCI V2. The discussion will explore what V1 delivered, lessons learned from the first phase of the program, why the proposed V2 withdrawal matters, and how these integrations position Cardano for broader adoption and long-term growth in 2026 and beyond. Guests are expected to include representatives from across the ecosystem, including Input Output, EMURGO, and other contributors involved in the initiative.

All the details of the space and everything else coming up next week for your diaries are listed below - set those reminders!

Contributors: Abhik N, Intersect, Ian H, Intersect

Legal Advisory Support – Storm Partners & Sentinel Legal

As part of Intersect’s commitment to delivering meaningful value to paid members, we are pleased to offer legal advisory support through our partnership with Storm Partners and Sentinel Legal. This benefit is designed to help members navigate legal, regulatory, compliance, structuring, and broader business considerations within the Web3 and digital asset space. Individual members receive introductory advisory support for early-stage guidance, while Enterprise members receive extended consultation time tailored to more complex business and operational needs. Whether you're building, scaling, or exploring opportunities within the ecosystem, this benefit provides access to experienced legal professionals who understand the unique challenges of blockchain and emerging technologies.

To access this benefit and learn more, head over to your members area and visit the benefits page. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to members@intersectmbo.org

What's on next week

Critical Integrations Update

Join us for a special X Space on Monday, May 18 2026 at 3PM UTC. Topic: “What’s next for Cardano’s Critical Integrations” Hosted on the Intersect account, with representatives from the Pentad members.

Constitutional Committee elections 2026

There are regular CC Election Process AMA sessions scheduled every Tuesday throughout the upcoming CC elections. Times alternate weekly to accommodate different time zones. These sessions are open for anyone with questions about the role or needs help with technical resources. Subscribe to the Luma Calendar

Next session: Tuesday, May 19 2026, 1500-1600 UTC

Intersect Virtual Hub

Reminder that the Intersect Virtual Hub is open 24/7 for members to use and organise their own meetings and events. If you would like to utilise the screen sharing features for presentations, an Intersect staff moderator can assist.
How to join the Virtual Hub guide on X


van Rossem hard fork

Now that progress towards the hard fork is in full swing, the Hard Fork Working Group meets every Tuesday and Thursday. Subscribe to the Luma calendar

That’s it for this week’s update. Thank you for reading. To learn more about Intersect’s work, explore our Knowledge Base, which provides detailed information on governance structures, committees, and funding.

Join the conversation on Discord, and follow us on Twitter (X) and LinkedIn to engage with fellow members, working groups, and the broader community. Subscribe to the public Google and Luma calendars.