Input Output Global Requests 62.1M ADA for Cardano Upgrades, Leios Mainnet Launch Targeted by Year-End

Gate News message, April 22 — Input Output Global, the core development company behind Cardano, has submitted nine proposals to the Cardano Treasury for 2026, requesting funding approximately 50% lower than the previous year. IOG is requesting 62.1 million ADA (approximately $15.8 million) for node upgrades, monitoring, and security maintenance.

The proposals center on the Leios mainnet upgrade, which aims to increase Cardano's monthly transaction volume from approximately 800,000 to over 27 million. Leios is expected to enter testnet in June, with mainnet launch targeted before year-end.

IOG plans to implement Babel Fees, allowing users to pay transaction fees in non-ADA assets, while exploring new economic models including wallet-based micro-fee collection, Bitcoin staking rewards (Pogun proposal), and improved Plutus development tools and formal verification utilities to lower the barrier to entry for developers.