Product Research Update The CPC has selected the winning proposers for the latest Product Research Initiative RFPs, pending execution of grant agreements. Awarded proposals • RFP 09 – AI Commercial Positioning: Tokenfrastructure • RFP 02 – Use Case Landscape & Competitive Positioning / RFP 05 – Government & Emerging Markets Entry Strategy: ELK Consortium • RFP 05 – Government & Emerging Markets Entry Strategy: UNDP AltFinLab, PRISMA, ASISA • RFP 04 – Brand Awareness & Perception: Wada Global • RFP 07 – L2 Adoption & Interoperability Demand Study: NexTrium Congratulations to the selected teams, and thank you to everyone who submitted proposals. Full process outcomes: productcommittee.docs.inters…

🚨Returning unused funds back to the treasury 💰 We're committed to responsible stewardship, transparency, and ensuring treasury resources are used efficiently. Following approval by its members, the Cardano Product Committee (CPC) will return over 100,000 ADA of unused funds from the previous budget cycle back to the Cardano Treasury. The funds were originally allocated for local gatherings and business engagement activities. With the supermajority approval by DReps of Cardano's Vision, Mission & Strategy 2030 in January 2026, the core objective of that proposal was successfully delivered and the remaining funds are no longer needed. --- We also invite DReps to review and consider the CPC's 2027 budget proposal, which builds on the work completed so far and supports the next stage of delivery for the ecosystem. 👉 This is currently up for DRep voting in the Intersect Hydra-tool bit.ly/CPC-Budget-2026-Hydra

🔎 Product Research Grants 👉1 week left to apply for any of the 9 Product Research initiatives. If you have any questions join today's session at 1PM UTC luma.com/sqp5iklp

If you can help Cardano better understand where it can create real usage, adoption, and product-market fit, we encourage you to apply. Review the open research initiatives and submit your proposal here: bit.ly/CPC-Product-Research

🔎9 open research initiatives🔍 RFP 09: AI Commercial Positioning Strategic question Can AI become a credible Cardano adoption vertical with identifiable buyers, delivery partners, revenue pathways, and measurable Cardano-side activity; and if so, which AI use cases, audience claims, and next actions should Cardano stakeholders prioritize? 👉Review full details bit.ly/RFP-09

🔎9 open research initiatives🔍 RFP 08: Enterprise Delivery Partner Network Strategic question What enterprise delivery partner network, certification framework, and go-to-market model would enable Cardano stakeholders to convert enterprise interest into implemented, supported, and measurable deployments? 👉Review full details bit.ly/RFP-08

🔎9 open research initiatives🔍 RFP 07: L2 Adoption and Interoperability Demand Study Strategic question Which Layer 2 and interoperability investments would unlock validated Cardano application demand, and which cross-chain pathways create net-new or mutual value for Cardano rather than mainly increasing dependency on larger or more liquid ecosystems? 👉Review full details bit.ly/RFP-07

🔎9 open research initiatives🔍 RFP 06: Enterprise and RWA Readiness Assessment Strategic question Is Cardano ready for production-grade enterprise adoption, including real-world asset deployments; and which readiness gaps must close before enterprise pilots, RWA opportunities, and institutional use cases can convert into recurring usage, durable value, or scalable ecosystem adoption? 👉Review full details bit.ly/RFP-06

🔎9 open research initiatives🔍 RFP 05: Government and Emerging Markets Entry Strategy Strategic question How should Cardano sequence government and emerging-market entry by region, use case, partner model, and regulatory pathway; and what concrete regional playbooks would let Cardano stakeholders move from general interest to measurable pilots, usage, or partner action? 👉Review full details bit.ly/RFP-05

🔎9 open research initiatives🔍 RFP 04: Brand Awareness and Perception Strategic question How do external audiences currently perceive Cardano as a place to build, invest, partner, or deploy capital; how does that perception compare with Solana, Ethereum L2s, and other relevant peers; and which evidence-backed positioning moves would most credibly shift perception by audience? 👉Review full details bit.ly/RFP-04

🔎9 open research initiatives🔍 RFP 03: Stablecoin Liquidity Incentive and Activation Strategy Strategic question What stablecoin liquidity should Cardano stakeholders pay to create, in which venues, through which incentive mechanisms, and under what measurable conditions to produce durable depth rather than temporary mercenary capital? 👉Review full details bit.ly/RFP-03

🔎9 open research initiatives🔍 RFP 02: Use Case Landscape and Competitive Positioning Strategic question Where do Cardano's use cases actually stand today, where does Cardano win or lose against peer blockchain ecosystems, and which verticals should Cardano prioritize, partner into, wait on, or deprioritize over the next 24 months? 👉Review full details bit.ly/RFP-02

🔎9 open research initiatives🔍 RFP 01: Customer Segmentation and Profiling Strategic question Who are Cardano's current and potential customer segments, what does each segment need from Cardano, and which segments should be prioritized for activation through specific partner and channel strategies? 👉Review full details bit.ly/RFP-01