Cardano has activated the van Rossem hard fork, its first governance-approved network upgrade, reducing smart contract costs and preparing the blockchain for Ouroboros Leios.

Input Output is handing its core infrastructure to outside teams as Cardano gets a lift from an imminent protocol upgrade.

This week, Cardano activated the Van Rossem hard fork, cutting Plutus costs as whales buy ADA near $0.16 support.