Cardano has entered a decisive technical phase with the van Rossem hard fork successfully submitted to the preview testnet, marking a critical step before its eventual mainnet rollout. The upgrade was confirmed by Intersect, a member-based organization within the Cardano ecosystem, and is accompanied by the release of Cardano Node version 11.0.1 Pre-Release. This node version is essential for safely crossing the hard fork and supporting the transition to protocol version 11, once governance procedures are completed.
Node 11.0.1 is the first release to support an “intra-era” hard fork, meaning that while the protocol advances to a higher version, the ledger remains within the Conway era. This design choice is intended to minimize disruption for developers and decentralized applications (dApps), as the transaction structure will not undergo fundamental changes. According to the technical specifications, the upgrade requires at least 85% of active stake pools to update their software before ratification, with participation also needed from Delegate Representatives (DReps) and the Constitutional Committee.
The van Rossem upgrade introduces a suite of improvements focused on Plutus performance, ledger consistency, and node-level security. New Plutus primitives will become available, based on Cardano Improvement Proposals (CIPs) such as CIP-0109, CIP-0132, and CIP-0153. Additionally, built-in functions across Plutus V1, V2, and V3 will be unified, allowing older scripts to access newer capabilities retroactively and expanding development tools without breaking compatibility. Cardano-api and cardano-cli tools are also elevated to their 11.0 series, and an experimental goal for protocol version 12 has been set for future testing stages.
On the market side, ADA’s price action remains centered around the $0.26 level. Analysts view a weekly close above this threshold as a confirmation of renewed momentum after a prolonged accumulation phase. Data from TapTools shows buyer pressure gradually improving, with the Buyers vs Sellers metric rising from deeper negative levels to approximately -3.70. If ADA can hold above $0.26, traders may target the $0.28–$0.30 range, with stronger breakouts potentially reaching $0.32, $0.38, and $0.45. Notably, Cardano’s holder base has surpassed 4.5 million addresses, signaling sustained network participation despite weak price performance.
