Our previous blog outlined the first set of proposals from our partners to solve the current challenges to commercializing Cardano’s DeFi ecosystem, namely boosting stablecoin liquidity, key token listings for Cardano Native Tokens on top centralized exchanges, expanding trading pairs for Cardano stable tokens to USDT/C, and more.
Thus, EMURGO has been hosting Cardano Commercialization Workshops in Japan to foster greater awareness of the current limitations in Cardano’s DeFi ecosystem, its implications, and our partners’ proposals to address them.
In this blog, we will discuss the second set of our partners’ proposals to start broadening institutional awareness of the network through events and legacy media exposure, thereby setting the foundation to onboard tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) to Cardano.
This builds off of the first set of partners’ proposals mentioned earlier, whereby they intend to deepen liquidity in Cardano’s DeFi ecosystem and drive its functionality with external capital and established industry participants such as market makers and centralized exchanges.
Please note that these are our partners’ proposals, and two are from EMURGO.
Partner Proposals
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Wachsman
Who are they?
Wachsman was founded in 2015 and is an industry-leading global communications and marketing agency specializing in blockchain and Web3 with extensive experience in and connections to government stakeholders, top-tier legacy media, and key opinion leaders.
How the requested funds will be used:
They have put forth two separate proposals:
- The first proposal aims to create a strategic market intelligence infrastructure for Cardano. The deliverable is to produce an industry-wide report that collates all the different data points for a marketing campaign for the Cardano ecosystem, including a regional analysis of all the different users across major continents, and a competitor analysis of other L1s that are directly competing with Cardano with complete data points of their strengths and messaging.
- The second proposal aims to craft a comprehensive strategic communications campaign for the Cardano network to garner more mainstream media attention. It’ll more strongly define Cardano’s market identity by creating a high-impact global press engine with a unified core message across major media platforms. It will look to actively collaborate with the appropriate Intersect Committees, such as the Growth and Marketing Committee (GMC) and Governance & Policy Council (GPC).
What benefits will be delivered to the Cardano ecosystem?
The benefits of the first proposal deliver a deep analytical understanding of Cardano’s core demographic, messaging, positioning against competitors, etc., to various community members.
The second will elevate Cardano’s presence and position it as an intention-driven Layer-1 blockchain with real-world relevance. Proactive storytelling will ensure Cardano defines the conversation, empowering ecosystem teams to become influential advocates. Media validation will build legitimacy and pave the way for deeper engagement with enterprises and investors, scaling Cardano’s message to reach decision-makers across key markets.
GovTool proposal links for further details:
Decoding the Future: Strategic Market Intelligence for the Cardano Ecosystem
Communicating the Future We’re Building, Block by Block
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EMURGO (Educational Content) Proposal
How the requested funds will be used:
Our second proposal aims to create a series of videos of essential educational materials on the Cardano network, Governance, Intersect, and Project Catalyst, to attract new and existing users to Cardano.
The videos will be released in multiple languages to ensure maximum reach, including Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, French, Arabic, Hindi, and Portuguese.
The requested funds will go towards pre-production, production, editing, translation, and strategic dissemination of the videos. There will also be accompanying PDFs with detailed information for those who want to read more about it.
The texts will also be available in the same languages as the videos.
What benefits will be delivered to the Cardano ecosystem?
Cardano has changed a lot since its mainnet launch in 2017. Basic guides and information on the network and governance are scattered around many different websites and types of documentation.
These videos will serve as a unified source to bring new people into the ecosystem and inform them of all the ways Cardano is different through a single branded resource.
This proposal will benefit the governance process the most.
The different governance bodies, governance actions, voting, and more are complex systems that need detailed and interactive explanations under a single source of truth.
The videos will be a major boon to the process, serving as onboarding material for anyone looking to engage deeply with the decentralized governance of Cardano.
GovTool proposal link for further details:
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EMURGO (Unified Event Marketing) Proposal
How the requested funds will be used:
Other competitors to Cardano have augmented their global presence by being consistently present at major events, making connections, and cementing their positions as a unified brand.
However, in Cardano, branding has been more inconsistent due to the involvement of several different parties.
To solve this issue, EMURGO proposes “The First Unified Global Events Marketing Strategy for Cardano” through this proposal.
Now, for different leading industry events, management experts will create and plan Cardano-branded sponsorships at global conferences in 2025 and 2026.
The aim is to leverage EMURGO’s wealth of event experience at Consensus, Cardano Summit, TOKEN2049 Singapore, etc., to run a 100% Cardano-focused, unified events and marketing campaign globally in the most cost-efficient manner and raise Cardano’s visibility as one singular brand run by the ecosystem rather than by different entities.
What benefits will be delivered to the Cardano ecosystem?
The main beneficiaries will be the Cardano network and the ecosystem as a whole. Through this plan and roadmap, Cardano will be able to have a unified presence in all of these important conferences.
There will be activities and opportunities for developers looking to launch or move dApps to seek new opportunities in other networks.
Stakeholders external to Cardano will have an easier time understanding Cardano’s brand identity, connecting for potential deal flow, and reaching out about onboarding to Cardano through a much more unified and streamlined marketing process.
GovTool proposal link for further details:
Unveiling the First Unified Global Events Marketing Strategy for Cardano
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Killer Whales
Who are they?
Killer Whales is a reality show that serves as a crypto version of Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs in the blockchain, NFT, and Web3 space pitch their projects to a panel of industry experts and judges known as “Whales.” The show aims to better connect the blockchain industry with the general public.
The show was announced in 2023 and is produced by HELLO Labs, a Web3 entertainment company founded by Paul Caslin. The show debuted on Apple TV and Amazon Prime on April 8th, 2024, with a first season containing five episodes.
How the requested funds will be used:
They propose to create a strategic partnership between EMURGO, Cardano Foundation, and Intersect with the show’s producers. The aim is to bring Cardano projects to the next season on Killer Whales and leverage the global media reach, influencer network, and incubation capabilities of the show.
The partnership will include:
- A dedicated episode featuring Cardano builders and their innovations
- Exclusive behind-the-scenes and ecosystem-focused content for the Cardano community
- Hackathons and local marketing to source and identify top Cardano projects
- Collaborating with top influencers to generate awareness and credibility for Cardano projects
- Co-branded activations during major crypto events
The first season was able to have 600 million viewers across 55+ countries on various streaming services. The program generated 200 million social media impressions during its first run alone. The second season will start in March/April 2025, featuring a $1.5 million acceleration prize pool supported by CoinMarketCap, Hacken, and the HELLO Incubator.
What benefits will be delivered to the Cardano ecosystem?
The Killer Whales show generated a lot of interest during its first season. Now, in its second iteration, Cardano builders can be prominently featured during the show.
The show will provide to the Cardano ecosystem:
- Access to Killer Whales’ international audience and premium content production
- Year-round marketing activities
- Tangible rewards for Cardano builders
- Direct exposure to the Killer Whales’ influential investor network
- Comprehensive Support from HELLO Labs and Killer Whales
GovTool proposal link for further details:
Cardano x Killer Whales show and media partnership
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OpenEden
Who are they?
OpenEden is a leading real-world asset (RWA) tokenization platform, trusted by 100+ institutions and backed by YZi Labs. It is the first blockchain project to get a Moody’s “Investment Grade” score. They issue tokens, USDO, representing fractions of a US Treasury bill (T-Bill) held in a regulated custodian.
How the requested funds will be used:
The proposal is requesting 3,840,000 ADA, or around 1,920,000 US dollars. It aims to address the lack of institutional-grade assets that are live on-chain in the Cardano network. Additionally, there is lost activity using cross-chain bridges to bring liquidity into Cardano.
OpenEden will solve this problem with two actions:
- First, launch a bridge that can bring USDO from Ethereum to the Cardano network. The aim is to bring liquidity to TBills quickly using this method.
- Second, launch USDO on Cardano natively. These tokens would be created on Cardano directly using the native token standard.
What benefits will be delivered to the Cardano ecosystem?
The lack of institutional-grade assets prevents the onboarding of larger institutions. Among these assets, US T-Bills are considered one of the more secure and trusted instruments in financial markets. Cardano has lacked access to these assets directly from the network.
Introducing T-Bills using USDO – first with the bridge, later natively – will address this need in Cardano. This will help institutional players who need to buy these safe assets. Additionally, DEXs, lending marketplaces, and other DeFi protocols will benefit from having access to USDO.
GovTool proposal link for further details:
Tokenised Real-World Assets on Cardano
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Fineqia
Who are they?
Fineqia is an investment partner in early and growth-stage blockchain and crypto companies. The company is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the ticker FNQ.
Finequia aims to invest in a diversified portfolio of blockchain projects with proper due diligence as a regulated entity.
How the requested funds will be used:
The proposal aims to tokenize insurance assets and bring them into the Cardano ecosystem. The InsurToken Protocol will leverage Cardano’s secure blockchain and Plutus smart contracts to tokenize Insurance Industry Assets (IIAs).
The rollout occurs in phases:
- Phase 1: Initial tokenization of $15M.
- Phase 2: Expansion into Insurance-Linked Securities (ILSs), offering diversified, uncorrelated returns with greater transparency and liquidity.
- Future Phases: Broader asset class expansion aligned with market and regulatory developments.
Integrating insurance tokens into Cardano’s DeFi ecosystem enhances their utility and investor returns. Implementing the protocol with rigorous security audits and regulatory compliance positions Cardano commercially within RealFi, providing institutional-grade transparency, liquidity, and accessibility.
What benefits will be delivered to the Cardano ecosystem?
The proposal can benefit the Cardano ecosystem and particularly its DeFi sector. It’ll bring major insurance industry assets on-chain to be traded on the Cardano ledger. It can also increase the transaction volume on both DEXs, lending protocols, and the network overall.
There will be four major benefits;
- Liquidity and Accessibility: The tokenization of premium finance receivables, which are traditionally illiquid, transforms them into tradable digital assets, thereby providing immediate liquidity.
- Transparent and Secure Yield Distribution: Plutus smart contracts automate investor distributions, providing potential yields directly to their wallets and enhancing investor confidence.
- Expansion Potential into Insurance-Linked Securities (ILSs): These provide investors with exposure to non-correlated returns driven uniquely by insurance risk events, creating valuable portfolio diversification opportunities within Cardano’s DeFi ecosystem.
- Cross-Protocol Integration and Ecosystem Growth: Their tokens will integrate into broader DeFi platforms, providing collateralization, yield farming, and liquidity provisioning opportunities.
GovTool proposal link for further details:
Unlocking 10%+ Yield: Bringing Real-World Assets to Cardano with InsurToken
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Haus
Who are they?
Haus is a real estate tokenization platform that makes home equity tradable and investable on-chain.
How the requested funds will be used:
Home equity is one of the largest asset classes in the United States, but it’s relatively illiquid. The proposal aims to launch a tokenized home equity liquidity protocol on Cardano. The platform would allow homeowners the ability to fractionalize their properties and sell these portions as digital tokens on the ledger.
The project will migrate from Ethereum to Cardano. Investors will be able to buy, sell, and trade tokenized real estate assets, unlocking new DeFi use cases for real-world assets (RWAs) on Cardano.
What benefits will be delivered to the Cardano ecosystem?
The Cardano DeFi and RWA ecosystems will benefit from having a new asset class to add more liquidity and transaction volumes from those interested in tokenized real estate and enable homeowners to tap into liquidity and transactions more easily with the added benefits of on-chain transparency.
GovTool proposal link for further details:
High-yield RWA Asset for Cardano: Tokenized Real Estate
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DigiFT
Who are they?
DigiFT is a regulated digital assets exchange for institutional investors looking to transact on-chain RWAs. By providing on-chain access to a range of tokenized institutional-grade RWAs, DigiFT opens up new investment opportunities for Web3 companies and traditional financial institutions.
DigiFT’s Tier-1 regulatory license is a key differentiator, ensuring that all investments made through the platform are not only protected but also adhere to the highest standards of security and transparency. This regulatory compliance provides Web3 companies with the confidence and peace of mind they need when investing in TradFi assets.
How the requested funds will be used:
DigiFT is a regulated platform for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) that is designed for institutional investors. It aims to bring four major advantages to Cardano:
- Authorized regulatory issuance and distribution capability
- Smart contract functionality integration with regulated financial products.
- Listing of Cardano stablecoin USDA, on its platform: Pair USDA with regulated assets.
- Authorized instant liquidity pool provision: Create instant liquidity for assets that use USDA.
What benefits will be delivered to the Cardano ecosystem?
The Cardano ecosystem will benefit from having access to regulated financial assets from a top-tier provider. The project has a Singapore MAS license and a Hong Kong SFC Approval-In-Principle (AIP) agreement.
This will allow Cardano to run ahead of its competition among other L1s and establish itself as the premier blockchain for institutional RWA integration. This will bring major players into the network and ensure the longevity of Cardano as an ecosystem.
GovTool proposal link for further details:
First Regulated & Licensed RWA Exchange on Cardano (with products from UBS, Invesco, etc.) – DigiFT
Register to Join EMURGO’s Webinar To Directly Ask Partners About Their Proposals
EMURGO will be hosting a webinar for Cardano DReps. Register now to directly engage with the partners and ask them questions about their proposals.
- Webinar – April 23, 2025; Japan Time Zone – 19:00 (JST). Click here to register.
For more information on the webinars, follow EMURGO on X.
About EMURGO
- Official Homepage: emurgo.io
- X (Global): @EMURGO_io
- YouTube: EMURGO channel
- LinkedIn: @EMURGO_io
Disclaimer
You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Nothing contained herein shall constitute a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by EMURGO to invest.
