Welcome to Intersect update #120
 The van Rossem hard fork enacts tomorrow, July 18, closing out months of coordination across the Hard Fork Working Group and the wider ecosystem. It's a big week for governance too: the Constitutional Committee election enters its final stretch with voting closing July 23, the Intersect core budget proposal is in its final days on-chain. Plus, updates from the Cardano community's recent trips to Tokyo and Hyderabad, and a look ahead to Rare Evo in Las Vegas.  

Contributors: Bosko M, Ian H, Larisa M, Thomas L, Duncan S, Abhik N, Valeria D, Lorenzo B, Intersect

van Rossem hard fork update

The van Rossem hard fork governance action achieved the required ratification thresholds across all voting groups on July 13, and was subsequently ratified at the epoch boundary in epoch 643. The hard fork is scheduled to be enacted on the next epoch boundary on July 18, 2026 at 21:44:51 UTC (Slot height: 192,844,800).

No other governance actions were directly impacted, delayed, or expired as a result of the hard fork governance action reaching ratification.

On-chain voting: The van Rossem hard fork governance action was ratified with 77.63% DRep support (60% threshold), 52.7% SPO support (51% threshold), and 6 Constitutional Committee approvals (5 required), with one Constitutional Committee member not casting a vote.

Governance & community engagement:

The Hard Fork Working Group extends its sincere thanks to the entire Cardano community, the founding entities, and everyone who participated in the governance process for their engagement and meaningful contributions in bringing the latest protocol upgrades to the benefit of the Cardano ecosystem.

The work does not stop here. The Hard Fork Working Group will continue meeting twice a week to discuss, assess, and coordinate preparations for the next major milestone, the Dijkstra era hard fork.

CC election: final week of voting

The Constitutional Committee election has now entered its final week, with voting closing on July 23 at 21:45 UTC.

DRep participation has increased significantly. The vote now shows 20 DReps participating, with a total of 3.3bn ada in voting power cast across the ballot.

Current standing by voting power:

There have currently been 0 abstain votes.

The current top four are Marek Mahut, Cardano Curia, Leandros BSP, and Philip DiSarro, but the election remains open until the deadline. Until then, the standing can still change.

The Constitutional Committee is one of Cardano’s key governance safeguards. It has a direct role in protecting the Constitution, reviewing governance actions, and helping ensure that the system works as intended.

For DReps, this is the moment to make sure their preferred candidates are represented in the final outcome. Voting is open now, but not for much longer.

Once voting closes, the results will be audited, with audited results expected by July 27. Following that, the on-chain submission is planned during the epoch starting July 28.

DReps should review the candidates and cast their vote on Ekklesia before July 23 at 21:45 UTC.

The current preliminary results are available on Ekklesia.

Recently closed governance actions

Live governance actions*

*data from 2026-07-17 at 09:30 UTC

** SPO votes not counted for NCL outcomes but the ledger allows SPOs to vote on Info Actions

Follow vote progress with your favorite Cardano explorers:

GovTool | Tempo | Cexplorer | AdaStat | CardanoScan | CGov | Civitas

Vote on the updated Intersect bylaws

Voting on the proposed updates to the Intersect bylaws is open until July 29. These changes are designed to better reflect how Intersect operates today, improve clarity, and strengthen our governance framework.

As a member, your vote helps shape the future of the organization. Members who haven't yet voted can review the proposed changes and cast a vote before voting closes.

For a detailed explanation of each update and a list of frequently asked questions, please visit the Knowledge Base.

Thank you to everyone who takes part. Governance decisions like this one shape Intersect's direction, and every vote strengthens the mandate behind these changes.

WebX 2026 – Tokyo

WebX 2026 brought the Cardano ecosystem together in one of its most important markets, reinforcing Japan’s continued role in driving blockchain adoption across Asia.

Throughout the event, the Cardano booth served as a central hub for community engagement, welcoming developers, enterprises, institutions, and ecosystem partners. The Cardano Foundation team joined us at the booth alongside Intersect and members of the Japanese Cardano community, demonstrating the collaborative approach that has defined Cardano’s presence at major global events.

Visitors also heard from a range of ecosystem projects through presentations delivered at the booth. Leios, RealFi, Midnight, and Kibotcha each showcased their latest developments and highlighted how they are contributing to the growth of the Cardano ecosystem.

Tangem also presented updates on its latest products and roadmap, while reaffirming its commitment to the ecosystem as an Intersect Enterprise Member. The session provided attendees with insights into upcoming developments and opportunities for collaboration.

WebX marked another successful opportunity to showcase the strength of the Cardano ecosystem, foster new connections, and engage directly with the growing Web3 community across Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

India Codex 2026 - Hyderabad

Intersect was represented at India Codex 2026 by Anuj Chaudhary, an elected member of the Membership & Community Committee (MCC).

Anuj connected with developers, builders, and members of the wider Web3 community, representing Intersect and helping raise awareness of opportunities to get involved in the Cardano ecosystem. His presence also highlighted the role of elected committee members in representing Intersect and strengthening connections with local communities.

India continues to be an important market for Cardano’s developer and community growth, and events such as India Codex provide valuable opportunities to engage with the next generation of builders and contributors.

Coming up: Rare Evo 2026, Las Vegas

Intersect is heading to Rare Evo 2026, taking place this year at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, from July 28 to 31. Rare Evo is one of North America’s largest blockchain gatherings, and with general admission free this year, it is a great chance to connect in person.

Members of the Intersect team will be at the Cardano booth throughout the event. Come and say hello, ask us about governance, membership, and the work Intersect does across the ecosystem, or simply stop by for a chat.

We will also be giving live demonstrations of the Constitutional Amendment Portal (CAP), the new tool designed to make proposing amendments to the Cardano Constitution accessible to any stakeholder, not only those with a technical background. With CAP preparing to enter a public testing phase, Rare Evo is an ideal opportunity to see it in action and share your feedback directly with the team.

Whether you are a long-time community member or new to Cardano, we would love to meet you. Come and find us in Las Vegas and say hello.

What’s on next week:

MCC Open Office Hours

Join the Membership & Community Committee (MCC) for our next Open Office Hours on Monday at 13:00 UTC.

This community session is an opportunity to engage directly with MCC members, ask questions about membership and community initiatives, share feedback, and discuss ongoing work across Intersect.

Join the X Space: https://x.com/i/spaces/1dJrPPVEPkPKX?s=20

Get involved

Public Google and Luma calendars are available to all. Committee meetings, working groups and events. Find something that takes your interest, join and participate.

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.