Learn Cardano Podcast

Fluxpoint Studio is bringing AI-powered trading to Cardano with the launch of A.D.A.M, an autonomous portfolio balancing and liquidity provisioning tool.By integrating their agentic intelligence engine, A.D.A.M can analyse real-time on-chain and social data to optimise trades. The tool launches in phases and operates non-custodially, supporting trading on platforms like Strike Finance and potentially others, such as Flow. Find out how it works and what it costs to get started.

In this episode, Peter dives into an important development for Cardano governance: the release of a new decentralised voting tool by the Cardano Foundation. This open-source platform, accessible at voting.cardanofoundation.org, enables DReps (Delegated Representatives), SPOs (Stake Pool Operators), and Constitutional Committee members to vote on-chain using a streamlined interface.Critically, the tool supports multisig wallets and stores immutable voting rationales on IPFS via integrations with Endmaker or custom IPFS providers. The release comes at a crucial time, as the existing community-built voting tool, GovTools, is facing funding challenges. GovTools wasn't included in the latest Intersect budget, leaving its continued development uncertain. A 100k ADA maintenance grant will keep the tool functional for now, but future progress depends on renewed community support.Peter walks through how the Cardano Foundation's tool works, outlining the step-by-step process from inputting your DRep ID to signing and submitting your vote. The new interface simplifies rationale submission, removing the need for GitHub uploads and allowing users to use Endmaker API tokens or even custom storage like Iagon.Crucially, the entire voting tool is open source and can be run locally or on private infrastructure, which ensures the resilience and decentralisation of Cardano governance. If hosted tools like GovTools go offline, users can still vote independently. This tool complements other platforms in the governance ecosystem like Tempo Vote, Governance.space, and the Cardano Forum, but it's one of the few to offer full voting capabilities.Peter applauds the Cardano Foundation for their contribution to the ecosystem's decentralisation and encourages the community to explore this new tool to strengthen participation in on-chain governance.

In this episode, Peter breaks down a major announcement from Iagon, a decentralised cloud storage provider building on Cardano, which has seen its IAG token spike in price following news of a collaboration with CloudCourt and advisory support from the Ford Motor Company. The partnership explores a proof of concept aimed at storing sensitive legal data using decentralised infrastructure—a key use case for compliance-heavy industries.The solution being tested combines off-chain encrypted data storage with on-chain access control and audit trails, helping meet stringent data protection regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR. This hybrid design ensures data sovereignty (e.g. storing data within national borders), robust security, and long-term cost savings compared to traditional centralised solutions. The concept is particularly relevant for law firms and large corporates that need to manage vast volumes of confidential legal documents like depositions and trial transcripts.Peter explains that Ford's involvement—while in an advisory capacity—brings valuable enterprise-level perspective, especially given its extensive legal operations. This project not only validates Iagon's use of blockchain for regulated environments, but also marks a significant milestone for Cardano in attracting Fortune 50-level interest.To top it off, there's a teaser: a second Fortune 50 company may also be involved in the near future. Speculation points towards the healthcare sector, given the solution's alignment with HIPAA compliance needs.Overall, this collaboration signals the growing maturity of Cardano's enterprise utility, showcasing how decentralised storage and blockchain can be practically applied in sensitive, high-compliance sectors.

Cardano DeFi is heating up this winter with a flurry of activity across lending, perpetuals, stablecoins, and community engagement.Strike Finance has now opened liquidity provisioning for users, allowing ADA holders to deposit funds that fuel leverage trading on the platform. This significantly boosts available liquidity and increases max position sizes. Liquidity providers and $STRIKE stakers benefit from trading fees, with usage metrics already trending upward.Flow, a new perpetual lending platform on Cardano, is currently holding a token sale. With 5 million ADA raised in just one day, community demand is clear. The platform promises loans without maturity dates and will enable users to use the $FLOW token for staking, governance, and pool creation. The token sale is pro-rata and fully decentralised, with a 68% public allocation.A major proposal is also making waves—allocating $100 million USD worth of ADA from the Cardano Treasury into stablecoins, Bitcoin, and other assets to create a sovereign wealth fund. Advocates see this as a critical move to inject liquidity and kickstart Cardano DeFi. Concerns remain around sell pressure and execution, but overall sentiment seems to favour the plan as a needed catalyst.USDM's Jillian provided valuable insight into how yield works in fiat-backed stablecoins, explaining how platforms like Coinbase offer interest through profit-sharing agreements, while issuers like Moneta Digital (behind USDM) are legally prohibited from doing the same directly. USDM needs to reach 150–200 million AUM to begin yielding returns via DeFi partners like Minswap or Liquid.On the lighter side, SNEK.FUN continues to innovate with new community tools including live wallet-linked chat during token sales. They're also launching 1,111 unique figurines, each signed by the artists who brought them to life—blending digital culture with physical collectables.Finally, Peter announces a limited-edition CardanoPress Wapuu pin giveaway for anyone with a live CardanoPress-powered site. Only 25 will be made, a nod to both the WordPress and Cardano communities.

Discover how Australian crypto investors are utilising self-managed super funds (SMSFs) to gain greater control over their retirement savings. In this episode, SMSF specialist Natalia Clack explains the benefits and risks of holding digital assets like Bitcoin in your super, how to do it compliantly, and what the proposed $3 million unrealised capital gains tax could mean for your future. Essential listening for anyone serious about managing their own retirement and crypto portfolio.We cover:What an SMSF is and who it suitsHow crypto can be stored compliantly within an SMSFWhat you can and can't do with Bitcoin in your superThe risks, compliance burdens, and audit requirementsWhy the $3M tax threshold could be devastating for someHow to plan ahead, and whether family trusts may offer a better future pathIf you're an Australian investor serious about managing your retirement and incorporating crypto into your long-term strategy, this is a must-watch. Contact Natalia at https://bit.ly/441p6Vr

This week in the Cardano ecosystem: SNEK partners with IOG, Amaru secures the first treasury withdrawal under the new governance model, and Strike Finance continues its DeFi surge with 40k ADA daily revenue. Explore how Cardano's governance, meme culture, and perpetual platforms are accelerating. Plus, updates from FluidTokens, Bodega, Danogo, Flow, and more.

A recent court ruling in Victoria, Australia, could fundamentally change how Bitcoin—and potentially other cryptocurrencies—are taxed in the country. In a landmark decision during a criminal case involving a former AFP officer who stole 81.6 BTC, the magistrate ruled that Bitcoin should be treated as "cash" rather than property or an asset like shares or gold.If upheld through appeals, this single classification change would dismantle the current ATO framework that has applied Capital Gains Tax (CGT) to crypto disposals since 2014. Under current ATO rules, selling, gifting, trading, or using cryptocurrency to purchase goods all count as CGT events. But if Bitcoin is legally deemed as cash, these transactions would no longer incur capital gains tax. The decision opens up the possibility of tax refunds dating back to 2019—estimated to total as much as $1 billion. It could also dramatically simplify crypto reporting requirements in Australia. The judgment is based on the idea that exchanging Bitcoin is no different from swapping physical cash (like trading a $20 note for two $10s), which is a non-taxable event.If upheld, this case sets a legal precedent with the potential to influence not just Australian law but other countries that share similar common law traditions. The episode breaks down key details from the court proceedings, reactions from the tax community (highlighting commentary from @taxinvestaccounting on Instagram), and what this might mean for crypto users and investors in Australia. It's a space to watch closely, as the ATO is expected to appeal the ruling. If it eventually reaches the High Court of Australia, the outcome could reshape the future of crypto taxation across the country.

This week's Cardano update covers everything from the Draper U pitch day to major infrastructure changes like Mithril syncing and multi-language node implementations. With over 932M ADA flowing out of exchanges, speculation is growing around a possible price surge. Peter also explores Strike Finance's liquidity growth, VyFinance's UI upgrade, and governance changes that could reshape Cardano's funding structure. Emurgo's push into real-world assets via Midnight adds another layer to Cardano's evolving ecosystem.

This episode dives deep into a huge week of Cardano ecosystem updates. Strike Finance expands perpetual futures, Fluid Tokens rolls out Babel fee infrastructure, Flux Point acquires Saturn Swap, and Iagon grows to 26PB of storage. Plus, Liquid's lending features, Tokyo's Bitcoin integration, and more. Essential listening for Cardano DeFi followers.