In a major move for privacy-centric cryptocurrencies, Monero has advanced its Full-Chain Membership Proofs (FCMP++) and CARROT technologies into the second phase of testnet trials. The upgrade, considered a pivotal milestone by the Monero community and blockchain privacy advocates, aims to deliver enhanced privacy features through real-world beta testing.
Monero progresses to beta stressnet
After years of development focused on improved blockchain privacy, the Monero team publicly launched the second, more comprehensive testnet—dubbed the “beta stressnet”—on May 6 at block 2,997,100. This new network phase allows both the community and developers to interact with and evaluate the impact of the FCMP++ and CARROT protocols under realistic conditions.
FCMP++ is designed to replace Monero’s current ring signature mechanism with all-chain membership proofs. Instead of validating ownership from a traditional set of 16 ring members, FCMP++ enables users to prove ownership from over 150 million Monero outputs on the blockchain, significantly increasing both privacy and scalability.
Development of these privacy technologies has spanned more than two years, encompassing research and development, security reviews, and independent audits. With the launch of the public stressnet, Monero is inviting broader participation in the evaluation process to ensure robust and secure implementation.
Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, described the Monero advancements as a “major transition” and noted that it represents a significant upgrade for the project. Hoskinson also expressed pride in Monero’s consistent efforts over the years to achieve these ambitious goals.
Cardano enters new phase with van Rossem hard fork
Simultaneously, the Cardano network has reached a critical testing milestone with the van Rossem hard fork. On May 5, the hard fork was deployed to the Preview testnet, marking a crucial step toward its mainnet rollout and signaling increased momentum for the Cardano ecosystem.
Intersect, a key organization within the Cardano ecosystem, announced that the next governance epoch would conclude on the ADA testnet with upcoming feature confirmations. This paves the way for formal governance approval of the hard fork, tentatively set for May 8 at 00:00 UTC.
This development is expected to kick off a new era for Cardano, with the upgrade focusing on improved scalability and expanded network functionality—setting the stage for further ecosystem growth and technical innovation.
Technical upgrades reinforce Cardano
Alongside governance milestones, Cardano also released the prerelease version of Cardano Node 11.0.1 and introduced DB-Sync 13.7.0.5 to the public. The new DB-Sync version integrates with the latest node release and underlying protocol upgrades, providing smoother transitions and minor bug improvements.
In conclusion, these parallel advancements in privacy and governance across Monero and Cardano highlight a striking synchronicity within the blockchain space, attracting heightened attention from the sector and promising substantial breakthroughs for both platforms.
