Cardano’s “van Rossem” Hard Fork Nears Launch as Binance, Coinbase Sign On

Cardano is nearing the final approval stage for its Protocol Version 11 upgrade, dubbed “van Rossem,” with major exchanges Binance and Coinbase already signaling operational readiness, according to U.Today. The hard fork has cleared testnet trials and hit the required support thresholds from network validators, leaving only a final sign-off from Cardano’s Constitutional Committee before it can go live.

What the upgrade changes

The V11 upgrade is classified as an “intra-era” hard fork, meaning developers can roll out new features and protocol optimizations without shifting Cardano into an entirely new blockchain era, U.Today reports. That structure is designed to limit disruption to the network while still delivering meaningful improvements.

Cardano ecosystem contributors say the fork will bring cheaper smart contract execution, zero-knowledge-ready cryptography, and additional built-in functions to the network. The upgrade is also positioned as a bridge toward Cardano’s forthcoming Dijkstra era, according to the report.

The hard fork’s name honors the late Max van Rossem, recognizing his contributions to building the Cardano community and shaping its governance framework, U.Today notes.

Network readiness metrics point to a smooth rollout

Cardano has already executed the V11 hard fork successfully on its Preview and Preprod testnets to confirm stability ahead of a mainnet launch, according to the report. On-chain data now shows broad support across the network’s decentralized governance structure.

Stake Pool Operators have moved quickly to upgrade their infrastructure, with 88% of all blocks minted over the past seven days produced using the new V11 node software, U.Today reports. The required voting thresholds from both Delegated Representatives (DReps) and Stake Pool Operators have also been met.

Binance and Coinbase, the two largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume, have thrown their support behind the fork, according to the report, a signal that could smooth the transition for ADA holders and traders once the upgrade activates on mainnet.

What comes next

With testnet validation complete and exchange backing secured, the remaining step is formal approval from Cardano’s Constitutional Committee. Once that sign-off is granted, the network would be positioned to activate V11 on mainnet, setting the stage for the eventual move toward the Dijkstra era described by ecosystem contributors.