Van Rossem Hard Fork
Cardano (ADA) · Releases & Updates · July 18, 2026
Cardano enacts the van Rossem hard fork (Protocol v11) — its first upgrade ratified via on-chain Voltaire governance.
Cardano's van Rossem hard fork enacts at 21:45 UTC on July 18, 2026, activating Protocol Version 11. It is the first Cardano upgrade ratified entirely through the decentralized Voltaire governance system (community vote, not founding entities). Improves Plutus smart-contract performance, adds cryptographic primitives, enforces VRF key uniqueness, updates reference-input rules, and strengthens ledger and node security.