Cardano activated its Van Rossem hard fork on July 18, 2026, moving the network to Protocol Version 11 through a landmark decentralized governance process. The upgrade marks the first major protocol advancement approved and executed entirely through Cardano's on-chain community voting mechanism, cementing the network's transition into its Voltaire governance phase. The activation occurred at approximately 21:44 UTC with no reported downtime, and the technical changes are designed to reduce smart-contract execution costs, enhance Plutus functionality, and prepare the network for the next major scaling initiative, Ouroboros Leios, expected later in 2026.