Hey Cardanians! Welcome aboard the Weekly Cardano Digest #72!

We've filtered through all the noise to distill crucial updates into a breezy, 5-minute read. No need for you to sift through endless info — we've got you covered. Ready to delve into this week's top Cardano news? Let’s dive in.

Here are the topics of the week:

• Cardano Surpasses Ethereum in Core Developer Activity

• ADA ETF Approval Odds Hit 75% — Cardano Eyes Institutional Breakthrough

• Cardano Will Launch “Face Melting Net” — An AI-Powered High-Speed Testnet​

• Weekly Development Report

• & More!

📈Cardano Surpasses Ethereum in Core Developer Activity

In a significant milestone, Cardano has overtaken Ethereum to claim the top spot in core developer activity over the past year. According to data from Cryptometheus, Cardano recorded 21,439 GitHub commits across 550 core repositories, surpassing Ethereum's 20,962 commits.

This surge in development activity spans 12 core projects and extends to 36 projects within the broader ecosystem, involving over 4,276 GitHub repositories. The impressive figures challenge the "ghost chain" narrative and highlight Cardano's growing developer engagement.

This uptick in development is fueling speculation about a potential ADA price rally, with analysts suggesting that increased on-chain activity could positively impact market performance.

👉 Dive deeper into the metrics and what this means for Cardano's future.

🚀 ADA ETF Approval Odds Hit 75% — Cardano Eyes Institutional Breakthrough

Cardano is making significant strides toward institutional adoption. Bloomberg analysts now estimate a 75% probability that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will approve a spot ADA ETF by October 2025. This development positions Cardano alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum, which have already secured ETF approvals.

Adding to the momentum, Grayscale Investments has filed an application to list the Grayscale Cardano Trust on the NYSE Arca. If approved, this would mark the first standalone ADA investment product in the U.S., offering traditional investors regulated exposure to Cardano's native asset

The anticipation surrounding the potential ETF has already impacted the market. ADA's price surged by 11%, outperforming both Bitcoin and Ethereum, following Grayscale's filing.

With the ETF approval on the horizon, Cardano is poised to attract significant institutional capital, potentially driving further growth and solidifying its position in the crypto ecosystem.

👉 The countdown to Cardano’s biggest market catalyst may have already begun.

🎓 Cardano Will Launch “Face Melting Net” — An AI-Powered High-Speed Testnet​

Big things are brewing. 🔥 Charles Hoskinson has announced that Cardano will launch a lightning-fast experimental testnet, designed to push the limits of blockchain and AI integration.

Nicknamed the Face Melting Net (FMN), this network will be populated by thousands of AI agents trading with each other at the highest possible speeds — simulating extreme conditions for future DApps.

This initiative could reshape how Cardano prepares for high-frequency, AI-assisted DeFi applications and stress-tests decentralized infrastructure at scale.

👉 Stay tuned — the FMN could redefine performance standards in Web3.

Interesting Stories

Essential Cardano’s weekly development report

🎊 A Message from Lucas

Hey everyone!

Last week really made me stop and think.

All the talk around governance, the constitution, and funding proposals — it hit me just how big this is. We’re actually building a budget for a digital nation. That’s not just a catchy phrase. It’s real. For people that are not aware, Cardano is finalizing the process of assembling its first budget. A process which has been active for many months now.

I never imagined I’d be part of something like this. Watching people from all over the world come together to vote, share ideas, and make decisions about how Cardano should grow — it’s something special. It’s not just about crypto anymore. It’s about creating a fair system where everyone can have a voice.

And we’re doing it together.

Feeling proud and inspired

–Lucas Macchiavelli