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Cardano activates Van Rossem hard fork, moving to protocol version 11
The July 18 upgrade was ratified through Cardano onchain governance, with delegates voting 78.9% in favor and the constitutional committee unanimously finding it compliant.
Cardano activated its Van Rossem hard fork on Saturday, moving the mainnet to protocol version 11 and lowering smart contract execution costs, while setting up groundwork for a future scalability effort. CoinDesk reports the change also prepares the network for the planned Ouroboros Leios upgrade expected in 2026.
A key difference from prior upgrades is governance control. For the first time in Cardano’s history, the protocol change was proposed, debated, and ratified entirely through Cardano’s onchain governance system rather than being coordinated top down by the founding engineering firm Input Output, according to CoinDesk.
Onchain data cited by CoinDesk shows the network moved from protocol version 10 in epoch 643 to version 11 in epoch 644, with the hard fork activated Saturday, July 18 at 21:44 UTC after ratification on July 13.
CoinDesk also notes that passage required sign off from three separate bodies. Delegated representatives voted 78.97% in favor against a 60% threshold, while the constitutional committee unanimously found the hard fork compliant, with all seven members agreeing where five were required.