Welcome to Intersect’s Development Update #84! It’s been a milestone week for Intersect and Cardano governance, with the release of the Budget Process 2026 framework. We also cover the final week during which candidates can register for the committee elections, the first Milestone Progress Report from Delivery Assurance, and continued growth across governance working groups.

We also highlight updates from the Open Source and Civics Committees, Intersect’s participation in Japan’s Tech for Impact Summit, and a look ahead to the October Town Hall later this month, and much, much more!

As we look ahead to 2026, a collaboration between the Cardano Foundation and Intersect’s Budget Committee is reimagining how Cardano’s annual budget is planned, reviewed, and executed. The new draft framework, now open for feedback, builds on lessons from 2025 to create a more predictable, transparent, and efficient process for all participants.

The proposed framework introduces clear templates, early access to consistent data, and simplified review cycles, helping DReps make higher-quality decisions while reducing fatigue for vendors, committees, and the wider community.

Key improvements include:

• Structured, multi-step workflow: from strategic planning to proposal review, consolidation, and milestone-based funding
• Higher voting threshold: proposals must now achieve at least 67% DRep approval before inclusion in the Budget Info Action
• Alignment with Cardano Vision 2030: ensuring all funded initiatives directly support shared strategic priorities
• Milestone-based delivery: Treasury withdrawals are tied to verified outcomes via smart contracts, strengthening accountability and transparency.

In parallel, the Budget Committee is also considering a shorter NCL to maintain continuity of Treasury operations from epoch 605 (current NCL expires at the end of epoch 604 in December) while exploring longer-term constitutional approaches for 2026 and beyond.

Your input is key as this draft framework moves toward finalization, shaping a more collaborative, data-driven, and accountable budgeting process for Cardano’s next chapter. Read the full proposal and share feedback.

Intersect exists to support members in coordinating and delivering on the most critical challenges and opportunities facing the ecosystem and network. Committees are at the heart of proposing solutions to the Cardano ecosystem. 

We’re now in the final week of candidate registration for Intersect’s Committee Elections 2025. If you’re passionate about Cardano’s mission and can dedicate around 10 hours per month, there’s still time to apply before registrations close on October 24 (12 PM UTC).

So far, 26 applications have been received across all committees, a promising sign of growing participation and community engagement. See the table below for a breakdown of applications per committee.

Committee Applications Overview (as of Oct 17)

We’re encouraged by the level of interest so far, but there’s still room to grow. These committees play a central role in guiding Cardano’s governance and development, from budget oversight and technical direction to open-source coordination and community engagement.

Service Rewards

As a token of appreciation for the time, effort, and expertise contributed by committee members, service rewards of 500 ada per month are available to all elected members, with an additional 500 ada for committee chairs. These amounts are reviewed annually to ensure fair recognition of member contributions.

Get Involved

1. Watch the videos from the Committee Chairs introducing each committee and their impact on Cardano’s governance.
2. Download The Application Pack
3. Apply Through the Intersect Members Area

For full details on eligibility, committee roles, and participation, visit the Committee Elections 2025 overview. If you or someone in your network is ready to help shape the future of Intersect and Cardano governance, now’s the time to step forward and apply.

Earlier this summer, Intersect’s Governing Board outlined a transparent and inclusive process to confirm a permanent Executive Director, one shaped by both members and the wider Cardano community. The recruitment process has now been updated, reaffirming Intersect’s commitment to openness and decentralized decision-making.

In this new phase, members and Delegated Representatives (DReps) will be invited to participate in a community poll to help guide the Board’s final appointment. Throughout the process, Interim Executive Director Jack Briggs will continue to serve in his current role.

A leadership opportunity

This is an open call for candidates from across the Cardano ecosystem and beyond who share Intersect’s vision for a decentralized, member-led future - Read the full job description.

Recruitment Timeline

• Applications & Nominations: Oct 6–24, 2025
• Member & DRep Polling: Oct 27–31, 2025

• Pre-Panel Context Calls:  From Nov 3, 2025

• Panel Interviews: From Nov 17, 2025
• Final Decision: Made by the Board, informed by polling and interviews

You can review the whole process here: Executive Director Recruitment Process

This process marks an essential step in strengthening Intersect’s member-led governance. We encourage all members and DReps to take part, helping ensure the next Executive Director reflects the values and vision of the Cardano community.

This week, the Delivery Assurance team published its first Milestone Progress Report, offering a transparent look at the work delivered since the Smart Contract initiatives were funded. The report provides a detailed snapshot of progress across all Intersect-administered contracts, showcasing milestones achieved and next steps ahead. Explore the full update here - Progress Reports.

Also, this week, we are introducing a vendor spotlight for vendors that have chosen Intersect as their administrator for the Treasury Withdrawal funding process. We’ll be sharing a vendor spotlight each week, and to kick off this series, we would like to highlight Vellum Labs, which is working on Project Cexplorer.io, a developer-focused blockchain explorer for Cardano. Cexplorer - The tool you use to check your Cardano transactions daily.

Cexplorer enables precise, developer-grade analytics to improve Cardano tools and transparency. It’s a high-performance blockchain explorer with real-time insights for developers and SPOs. Focus on tools for developers and gain deep insights into the chain by checking out their milestone delivery success on the Milestone dashboard.

This week’s Civics Committee meeting offered a comprehensive update in the broader governance workstreams connected to Civics, including the launch of a new working group, a lively public discussion on X, and progress reports across multiple initiatives.

The Constitutional Amendments Working Group held its first session, bringing together community members interested in evolving the Cardano Constitution. The discussion centered on how amendments could be proposed and reviewed in a fair, inclusive, and transparent manner, emphasizing accessibility for non-technical participants and multilingual communities. The group agreed that any framework should start with a clear understanding of why amendments are needed, followed by defining how they’re made.

On Monday, Civics hosted its first X Space, “DReps Off-Chain: Pros and Cons,” featuring Adam Rusch and Phil Lewis. The conversation sparked thoughtful debate around the evolving role of DReps beyond on-chain voting and the community trust such responsibility entails.

Meanwhile, the Education Working Group, led by Nana and Alex, is developing a Cardano Governance Educational Resource to catalogue learning materials and identify gaps for future content creation. The Governance Health Working Group continues refining its KPI framework to better track governance participation and performance.

With so much momentum, now is the perfect time to get involved. If you care about Cardano’s future, consider standing as a candidate in the ongoing Intersect Committee Elections and take part in shaping the next phase of decentralized governance.

Ready to contribute to Cardano? The Open Source Office and Committee continue to expand opportunities for developers, maintainers, and projects to collaborate, grow, and strengthen Cardano’s open-source ecosystem. Want to participate? Here’s how:

Project Incubation Program
Submit your project to reach a wider audience within the Cardano community and align with Intersect’s open-source governance framework - Learn more | Apply here.

Maintainer Retainer Program

• For Projects: Submit mature projects to connect with experienced community maintainers - Learn more | Apply here
• For Developers: Join core Cardano or community projects to build your portfolio - Learn more | Apply here.

Tooling Sustainability Program
Submit your tooling project for review by the Tooling WG and Open Source Committee for potential funding - Learn more | Apply here.

Open Source Community Recognition

Christian Taylor, Head of the Open Source Office and Incubation, has been nominated for election to the TODO Group Steering Committee, the global body guiding open-source program office (OSPO) best practices.

This nomination highlights Intersect’s leadership in bridging open-source standards with blockchain-native governance. Read more about the TODO Group elections.


Earlier this week, Christian also joined Mahesh Chand, CEO of C# Corner and Intersect Enterprise Member, at the University of San Diego, where he spoke about Cardano’s governance model and sustainable approach to open collaboration, demonstrating how blockchain ecosystems can deliver real-world impact through transparency and community-driven innovation.

Tech for Impact Summit 2025 marked another significant step forward for Cardano and Intersect in the Japanese market. The summit gathered over 2,000 participants, 80 speakers, 200 startups, and more than 70 investors, highlighting Japan’s growing role in the global conversation around blockchain, sustainability, and social innovation.



Intersect participated in the event to exhibit and communicate its role as a member-based organization driving Cardano’s governance and the long-term growth of the ecosystem.

Jack Briggs took the side stage and delivered an engaging presentation that helped audiences understand Intersect’s mission, its structure, and how it connects the community to shape Cardano’s future. His talk reinforced our understanding and appreciation for decentralized collaboration and transparent governance.

The Cardano ecosystem was present in full force, including Input Output Global, EMURGO, and others. Hydra was a particularly popular attraction, attracting long lines of visitors to its booth. It's an innovative point-based engagement system where participants create Cardano wallets and receive special rewards, generating excitement and driving hands-on interaction.

Seira Yun, Founder and CEO of Socious and the visionary behind Tech for Impact, provided the direction and energy that made the summit a success. His leadership continues to position the event as Japan’s most forward-thinking platform for technology and social good, bridging entrepreneurs, policymakers, and global innovators.

Intersect’s participation strengthened awareness of Cardano’s governance mission and helped expand its network of allies and collaborators in Japan. The event confirmed that Cardano’s presence in Japan is growing stronger and more connected than ever, setting the stage for the country’s upcoming "blockchain renaissance."

Intersect’s October Town Hall is just around the corner, bringing together members, contributors, and community partners to reflect on recent milestones and look ahead to what’s next. The session will take place on October 30, 2025, at 12:00 PM UTC - Join live on YouTube

This month’s agenda includes:

• Committee Elections: Updates and next steps for candidates and voters
• Event Recaps: Highlights from TOKEN2049, Tech Summit Japan, and other recent activities
• Meet the New Board Members: Introductions and vision sharing
• Committee Updates: Reports from across Intersect’s working groups
• Team Update: Welcoming Rosie Graham as Head of People & Culture
• Budget Process 2026: Overview by Lloyd Duhon on the next planning cycle.

Join us live, take part in the discussion, and help shape the direction of Intersect as we head toward the close of 2025.

Community Town Square
If you missed the first Community Town Square, you can catch the whole session on YouTube.

It was a great kickoff hosted by Lloyd Duhon, featuring open discussions, committee election updates, and shared insights on governance and collaboration across Intersect. Don’t miss the conversation shaping our community’s direction!

Calling all Intersect members 

In preparation for the upcoming annual members' meeting, the Intersect Annual Member Survey 2025 is now open - https://bit.ly/InterAMS

Did you know the survey is regional and available in English, Japanese, and Spanish?

アンケートは地域ごとに対応しており、英語、日本語、スペイン語で表示されます。

¿Sabías que la encuesta es regional y se mostrará en inglés, japonés y español?

Your feedback will help guide Intersect’s path in the year ahead. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts and help shape our future.

Enterprise Spotlight: Sundial

Sundial Protocol is building a UTXO-native Layer 2 infrastructure that enables institutions to earn non-custodial Bitcoin yield while maintaining full compliance and security. With an enterprise-grade SDK, KYC/AML modules, and audit-ready reporting tools, Sundial bridges traditional finance with decentralized Bitcoin yield generation. The protocol integrates with Bitlayer and BitVM to connect Bitcoin liquidity into Cardano’s DeFi ecosystem, while strategic backing from Appold supports its operational and governance roadmap. Positioned as a key player in the emerging “BTCFi” sector, Sundial aims to make Bitcoin a productive, yield-bearing asset for institutions across compliant markets.

The recent Working Group session focused on simplifying the overall governance tools experience across the ecosystem. Participants analyzed fragmentation issues and proposed unified approaches to make governance more intuitive for all ada holders. Discussions covered CIP and data schema standards, more precise financial and governance terminology, and greater wallet integration to streamline participation. Emphasis was placed on collaboration, transparency, and sustainability, ensuring future governance tools remain open-source, interoperable, and user-friendly.

And finally… Heading to Nuluna Barcelona this weekend?

Kick off your Saturday with the Cardano 2030 Vision Workshop hosted by Intersect, a morning of breakfast, bold ideas, and collaborative thinking. Together, participants will explore and refine the draft vision for Cardano’s next chapter - 🕘 9:00–11:30 AM, Saturday 18 October - Sign up here.

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. Additionally, visit the Intersect website for the latest news, updates, and roadmap information.

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

Your voice helps shape the future of Cardano governance.