Nick Cook

@DeOpenSourceGuy Good luck in your new role Christian and thanks for the kind words. You grew, learned and progressed a great deal at Intersect and I hope this serves you well moving forward 🙏

I woke up today reflecting on the people I’ve worked with over the years; the managers, teammates, and mentors who helped shape my journey. Not every work environment makes it easy to speak freely, take risks, or grow with confidence. Sometimes you learn when to stay quiet, when to push forward, and how to navigate difficult situations. But along the way, there are a few people who leave a lasting mark on how you lead and who you become. As I step into a new chapter this year, I want to give credit to a few of those people. Johnny Nguyen was the first person who really saw my potential beyond just being a project manager. He gave me confidence to trust my judgment, act more independently, and step into bigger responsibilities. That belief helped shape my path from the moment I joined IOHK. @NC_IntersectMBO is someone I’ll always respect for the way he showed up for his team. He’s ambitious, steady, and deeply supportive. One thing I’ll never forget is when I first started at Intersect and only received half a paycheck due to delays; Nick personally wrote me a check out of his own pocket to help cover the gap. I paid him back later, but that kind of leadership and care stays with you. Patrick Sheridan came into my journey under unusual circumstances; we were both kind of thrown into helping stand up an open-source initiative in Cardano from the ground floor. I was in India at the time, and Patrick was there helping shape the earliest parts of that strategy. Since then, he’s been a mentor and someone I’ve learned a lot from across entrepreneurship, business, accelerator programs, and open source. And then there’s @LozClark01, who has been a constant for the past five years. From consulting days through IOHK and Intersect, he’s been someone I could always count on. I joke that he’s my “work dad,” but honestly, that’s not far off. He’s been a steady hand, a sounding board, and someone who’s helped me through more than a few difficult moments. Careers are shaped by people, not just titles or roles. I’m grateful for the ones who helped shape mine. There are more but LinkedIn has character limits to how much I can add in here; but a few more of these folks are Nigel Hemsley, @khstandrews, @KrisKowalsky, Silona Bonewald, Danese Cooper, Addie Cobb, Georg Link, PhD, Michael Peyton Jones, @germoroney, Bogdan Coman, Hart Montgomery, Diane Mueller, @JBriggsLondon, Simo Simović, Tamara J.N. Haasen, @adamKDean , @ADAFrog_Pool, @therealdisasm, @pedrolucasnet, @andamioseb and Gheorghe Aurel Pacurar. And as I move forward, I carry a lot of what these three have given me. Grateful for the journey; and for the people who helped shape it. Thank you for being a part of my journey!

@blinklabs_io Great work! Love to see this 👏

Did you know that Blink Labs has had a paid open source contributor program for a year? We now have 10 contributors and counting. Our most recent addition joined us by contributing to our projects consistently. Now they're getting a paycheck. No milestones. No reports. Just code.

Breaking the Barriers of Global Settlement The first cup of coffee paid for with $USDA on Cardano has been served in Kenya, settled in real-time, directly to this merchant’s M-Pesa wallet in Nairobi. This pilot confirms that the Cardano network can handle the speed and integration required for everyday retail. And that's not all. This demo is just one piece of a larger infrastructure. This wallet pilot already supports: > Instant Fiat-to-Fiat: Seamless transfers across Africa. > USDA-to-Fiat: Direct conversion for real-world spending at almost every retailer > Multi-Currency Support: Instant payments to 7 different fiat currencies. Using a credit card internationally would have cost over 14% in fees, plus 5 days in settlement for the Merchant. With USDA, fees were under 1% and settled instantly. Our goal is to bring this liquidity to emerging markets worldwide, removing the friction of traditional cross-border payments. The wallet is entering final stages of testing and will launch in the coming weeks.

The Cardano Africa Tech Summit has wrapped up, and it's a bittersweet moment. We have been overwhelmed by the demand and support for $USDA. The conversations we had this week confirmed what we already believed: Africa doesn't need to wait for legacy financial systems to catch up. Builders here are ready for stablecoin infrastructure that actually works for them. @Shantnoo6 took the stage with @NC_IntersectMBO, @BRIGHTZEED, @planetmaaz, and @AI4Peace for our "Turning Blocks to Solutions" panel, and the response said it all. Real questions. Real use cases. Real urgency. We'll be sharing much more about the collaborations and partnerships that came out of this trip. Stay tuned, you're gonna love what comes next.

@QuasarSure @IntersectMBO @Intersect_MCC Community hubs are still running, but are currently not funded. Their budget application didn't get voted through in 2025. As for Catalyst, this hasn't ever been within the remit of the MCC.

@IntersectMBO @Intersect_MCC Are community hubs still a thing? Also, Does Project Catalyst still fall under this committee?

MCC Open Forum: Bring Questions. Leave With Clarity. 🗓 26th Jan ⏰ 2:30 PM UTC Join @Intersect_MCC next Monday for open office hours. Bring your questions, share feedback, and get clarity through an open and transparent discussion. 🎙️ Tune in: x.com/i/spaces/1vOGw…

@adamKDean @ShaolinPunked77 I never had you down as a FOOTBALL fan! You need to come to Selhurst Park to watch the mighty Crystal Palace next time you’re in London 🦅🔴🔵

Not yet, did get a chance to go see WAT@EVE at the old stadium back in 2022 though! Looking forward to coming over for another match! Also got to see LIV@MU during that last trip too. The Blues train good keepers, that might speak to the quality of our defensive line in not flattering ways though 😅

Sheesh! This EVE@MU game got more drama than Cardano and somehow we're still holding on to the lead? Oh, how the mighty have fallen or something... Come on you blues! 💙

@lilybrodi @IOHK_Charles 💪🎉

for those of you who like my accent and said i should start a podcast… i need you to back me on @IOHK_Charles’s post asap

With the consent of his family, we're deeply saddened to share the news that Max van Rossem has passed away while in Japan. He died peacefully in his sleep from heart failure. Max was a much-loved member of the Cardano community, always thoughtful, generous, sharp-minded, and deeply committed to those he worked alongside. He made significant contributions to the development of Cardano’s constitution and to many of the governance discussions and optimizations that will help shape the network’s future. Many of us will be deeply saddened by his passing. At this time, we ask that everyone continue to respect the privacy of his family and the grief of his close friends, as they navigate this unimaginably sad and hard time. Our thoughts are with all who knew and loved Max.

Hey Cardano! Calling all Stake Pool Operators! We're hosting a series of focused discussions to map out the current SPO landscape, understand your needs, and dive into the incentive mechanism. This project is funded by the community & administered by @IntersectMBO. Your feedback is crucial. Sessions are limited to 15 participants to keep the conversation focused. All schedules and registration: luma.com/calendar/cal-8… #SPOs #Staking #Blockchain #Governance

Hey! Here are the numbers directly from the node: Epoch 579 DRep: 78.19% SPO: 53.71% Epoch 578 DRep: 69.21% SPO: 38.77% The governance action will be enacted after one more full epoch, at the epoch boundary of 580/581. - The proposal reached the threshold in the current epoch (579). However, due to the maximum term length of 146 epochs, the Constitutional Committee (CC) term cannot exceed epoch 725 at this time. The proposal has some new CC members with their terms set to epoch 726. - In the next epoch, 726 will fall within the maximum term limit, so ratification is expected at the 579/580 boundary, with enactment at the 580/581 boundary. - To prevent future confusion, the node will expose a query to show it's calculations, making the process transparent. This will require some refactoring and won’t be available immediately. We will also draft a CIP to standardize how these calculations should be performed so that tools can have an easier life implementing dashboards, and reports.

Intersect Update - We're aware of discrepancies in how community tools report the governance action to replace the Interim Constitutional Committee, with different tools displaying the action in different states. Intersect and partners are investigating to ensure clarity and accuracy, and we’ll share an update once the cause is confirmed.

Time to vote! The interim CC expires Sept 6. To keep Cardano’s on-chain governance fully operational, we need 67% from DReps and 51% from SPOs. Cast your vote before Sept 1. See the update-committee action ➡️ bit.ly/update-the-cc Voting guides ➡️ bit.ly/voting-guides

You can’t argue with this! @IntersectMBO @IOHK_Charles @br1_lorenzo

Great to see some of our @IntersectMBO Enterprise Members here at @RareEvo @IagonOfficial

It’s been a hot week already at @RareEvo. With the main event kicking off tomorrow, here’s what to catch over the next couple of days: 1⃣ Committee members will be presenting what they think are the next set of challenges and priorities for the Cardano ecosystem. 2⃣ Join us for the first in-person board meeting with the executive team on Friday at 09:30 in Room Siena at Caesars. Afterwards, swing by our booth at 15:00 for a "meet the board" hour! 3⃣ All weekend, we’re teaming up with @claymates at our booth for exclusive merch and more. Come meet the Clay team and say hi! 4⃣ Hydra is back in action, and we’re proud to support @DripDropz_io with their vending machine demo. Collect points and redeem for serious prizes 👀 5⃣ And there's more partnerships - meet the team behind @thecardanocard and get the latest on their roadmap. 6⃣ On Saturday from 13:00 (local time), tune in live as @JBriggsLondon, @Quantumplation, and @IOHK_Charles dive into treasury management, smart contracts, and effective administration. See you there!

Today is a momentous day for Cardano and the community. At today’s epoch boundary, @IntersectMBO was one of 30 budget proposals which have now been ratified. Whilst the path was certainly not linear, today serves as a huge proof point that Cardano’s governance is working. This is a success that we should all share in and celebrate. Over the last few months, we’ve done a lot of listening and refocusing on direct ecosystem and Intersect member engagement. We’ve received a great deal of positivity in our efforts here and would like to thank everyone for their renewed support. The passing of our proposal demonstrates a level of trust to continue moving forward in our role to act as a facilitator and coordinator, implementing and strengthening Cardano governance. A huge thank you to those who have provided support, constructive criticism and simply your valuable time to help us reshape Intersect. We still have a way to go on our journey of transformation and continual improvement to ensure that we deliver the best Intersect for Cardano and you, the community and are committed to doing this over the next 12 months! @Cardano @RareEvo

@blockjock2017 Love to see it James 👏. Hopefully I’ll see you at @RareEvo

I’m throwing my DRep hat in the ring! drep1ygnypzfv2v8fmfelthahvn0rqyh54sf6z2aa5m7f3fkjgqqt8l2qq 🔹 Started my Cardano journey in 2020. 🔹 Business development lead and principal member of the largest fiat-backed stable coin, USDM🦋 🔹 Co-host of Cardano Over Coffee ☕️ the longest running, 5-day-a-week show that highlights entrepreneurs, educates, informs, and empowers anyone anywhere to change their lives. 🔹 25 years operating every aspect of a family-owned business, surviving 3 black swan events while growing market share. 🔹 Father of two amazing kids and supported by a significant other who helps me see all sides, no matter where it’s coming from. 🔹 I believe Cardano will achieve the goal of decentralized governance in my life time and I am honored to be a small part of history in the making. 🔹 I bring 30 years of listening, finding balance, and delivering the right message to help create a prosperous blockchain for everyone. 🔹 With humility, I ask for your support — let’s build Cardano’s decentralized governance together. First and foremost I have no prior history of working in a decentralized governance system, but I do believe with all my heart, that Cardano will realize this goal for the first time anywhere in the world. My past experience includes running all aspects of a refreshment services business in a highly competitive market in San Diego and not only surviving but taking market share. All while experiencing 3 black swan events, between 1999-2024 I have limited experience on the technical side of blockchain but have 30 years of understanding how to incorporate opinions of others into a thoughtful yet balanced path forward. Uniquely positioned within the Cardano community to see not only public perception of its thought leaders, but how using the correct delivery of message equates to a prosperous blockchain, no matter your level of understanding. Having one foot in the importance of history and its lessons, being open to and actively listening to all sides allows me to find middle ground no matter the subject. With all seriousness and humility, I ask for your support in furthering Cardano and its first of kind, decentralized governance structure. Thank you, James Meidinger

We are setting up for the grand finale of the 1st Inter-University Blockchain Hackathon in Sri Lanka! UniHack 2025!

Attending the #Tokenization and #Stablecoins London Meetup organised by the @linuxfoundation Decentralized Trust. LF Decentralized Trust @lfdecentralizedtrust?si=B65QwDlm5XggMt_X" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@lfdecentraliz… via @YouTube