Cardano Vasil hard fork hit with another delay for several weeks

After failing to go live last month, the Cardano Vasil hard fork is delayed again as teams behind the Cardano blockchain development target a smooth network upgrade.

Input Output Global (IOG), the organization responsible for Cardano’s research and development, released a YouTube update on Thursday on the upcoming Vasil hard fork.

IOG technical manager Kevin Hammond announced that the Vasil hard fork will be postponed one more time to ensure that all parties, including exchanges and API developers, are “all ready for that.” Hammond said:

“Obviously, from where we are, there could be a few more weeks before we go to the actual Vasil hard fork [...] This is incredibly important. All the users must be ready to progress through the hard fork to ensure a smooth process.”

Hammond pointed out that IOG has been focused on solving some testnet issues, progressing with the Cardano node version 1.35.2. The new node version fixes issues related to stake pool operators, decentralized application (DApp) developers, internal testing and other issues identified on the testnet.

“The goal is that it will flush out any final issues as we go to the Vasil hard fork. What we’re doing is fixing on testing authority, getting it right and not rushing,” Hammond added.

Amid the expected update, Cardano’s (ADA) price has seen some significant volatility, surging more than 7% over the past 24 hours at the time of writing, trading at $0.537. The cryptocurrency has been up 21% over the past 14 days, according to data from CoinGecko.

The Vasil hard fork is the biggest upgrade to Cardano since the Alonzo hard fork, which was completed in September 2021. The upcoming fork is positioned as a “game changer” in the Cardano development, as it’s expected to improve the network in terms of speed and scalability, making it more suitable for smart contracts and DApps.

Input Output released the roadmap for the Vasil hard fork in May 2022, originally aiming to execute the hard fork on the mainnet on June 29. The hard fork was eventually delayed until the last week of July over several “severe” bugs.

Related: Sell the news? Cardano price risks 20% drop despite Vasil hard fork euphoria

Vasil’s delay comes amid the cryptocurrency community anticipating another important event for one of the largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Ethereum, the second-largest blockchain by value, is scheduled for a merger phase of its proof-of-stake (PoS) transition on Sept. 19. As previously reported, the phase was delayed multiple times, while the full upgrade is expected to go live in 2023.