Cardano–Bitcoin Atomic Swaps: Trustless DeFi by Garden/Tokeo

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Cardano–Bitcoin Atomic Swaps: Trustless DeFi by Garden/Tokeo

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

100000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

5

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Cardano lacks integrated cross-chain Bitcoin infrastructure, limiting user access to Bitcoin DeFi, liquidity & multi-chain trading, while reducing developer innovation and Cardano’s competitive edge

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://tokeo.io
,
• https://garden.finance/

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

No

License and Additional Information

No, but Garden Finance integrations will become available for all Cardano businesses and developers.

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.

DeFi

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).

This proposal introduces true trustless atomic swaps between Cardano and Bitcoin using Garden Finance’s high-speed decentralized Bitcoin bridge and Tokeo’s secure multi-chain wallet. Prior Cardano efforts relied on custodial bridges or limited siloed solutions, but our system uses production-ready infrastructure already supporting $1.6B in volume across 12 major chains. Garden’s proven APIs and SDKs will empower any Cardano developer to build cross-chain products, opening Cardano to instant Bitcoin DeFi, liquidity, and scalable multi-chain growth for users and projects.

Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.

The MVP will showcase fully operational atomic swaps between ADA and BTC, executed via Garden Finance’s bridge and Tokeo’s wallet frontend. Users will be able to initiate trustless, fast, self-custodial swaps on Cardano testnet & mainnet, accessing real Bitcoin liquidity and seamless settlement. Features include a user-friendly UI, in-depth analytics, and comprehensive documentation for developers. The demo will be accessible inside the Tokeo wallet & highlighted through live video walkthroughs, social media posts, and technical guides shared with the Cardano and Garden developer communities.

Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.

Success will be measured by on-chain metrics including total ADA/BTC atomic swap transaction volume routed through Garden and Tokeo, the number of unique Cardano users accessing Bitcoin via the new bridge, and the adoption rate of Garden Finance’s APIs and SDKs by other Cardano projects and developers. Additional metrics include aggregate Bitcoin liquidity available to Cardano users, growth in multi-chain trading activity, and cross-chain asset flows. These data points will be tracked via blockchain analytics and shared with the Cardano community for transparency.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

The proposal directly targets Cardano’s current lack of access to connect with leading cross-chain Bitcoin infrastructure. Cardano users today lack access to seamless, trustless atomic swaps and robust multi-chain DeFi opportunities enjoyed on blockchains like Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain. This gap restricts cross-chain trading, limits liquidity, and impedes Cardano’s competitiveness in the evolving DeFi landscape.

The solution integrates Cardano into Garden Finance’s proven Bitcoin bridge, which features intents-based atomic swaps that settle in as little as 30 seconds while minimizing custody risk. Tokeo provides the ideal integration partner, as a feature-rich self-custodial wallet supporting both Cardano and Bitcoin. By collaborating, Garden Finance and Tokeo will deliver seamless BTC-ADA swaps, unlock Bitcoin liquidity for Cardano users, and bring Cardano into the fold of multi-chain DeFi ecosystems.

This approach leverages infrastructure that has already processed over $1.6B in volume and is connected to more than a dozen blockchains, providing Cardano with rapid access to established liquidity pools and scalable cross-chain functionality. Unlike past efforts that built siloed or custodial bridges, this project offers standardized APIs and SDKs, empowering any developer in the Cardano ecosystem to adopt trustless Bitcoin bridging for their own projects—accelerating innovation beyond just one platform.

Importantly, the solution will engage a broad audience: Cardano users seeking Bitcoin exposure, Tokeo’s and Garden’s existing userbases, and developers eager for reliable, production-ready integration tools. The onboarding process ensures Cardano keeps pace with other leading blockchains and unlocks new user growth.

Milestones are designed to deliver tangible outcomes, including the deployment and testing of smart contracts, the rollout of intuitive swap flows, SDK/API updates for developer integration, and ongoing release of documentation, tutorials, and marketing materials. Measurement of success will be transparent and on-chain: swap transaction volume, unique Cardano user adoption, API integration rates, and overall liquidity growth.

By combining Garden Finance’s trusted cross-chain swap engine and Tokeo’s advanced wallet capabilities, Cardano will gain the missing bridge to Bitcoin liquidity and multi-chain DeFi, resolving key limitations and powering the next phase of Cardano’s ecosystem expansion.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Cardano users and community members seeking Bitcoin bridging solutions

• Enhanced Cross-Chain Accessibility: Cardano users will gain access to fast, trustless Bitcoin bridging through Garden Finance's proven infrastructure, enabling participation in Bitcoin DeFi with zero custody risk.
• Ecosystem-Wide Integration: Following the initial Tokeo implementation, Garden Finance SDK/APIs will become available for integration by any Cardano-based project, expanding cross-chain capabilities across the ecosystem.
• Increased Liquidity Access: Integration provides Cardano users with access to Garden Finance's existing liquidity pools and multi-chain trading opportunities, previously unavailable to the Cardano community.
• Competitive Positioning: Ensures Cardano maintains parity with other major blockchains (Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, Sui) that already have Garden Finance integration.
• Cross-chain access beyond Bitcoin: Garden currently supports over 12 chains, with new ones being added regularly. This integration will open access to the Cardano ecosystem from all these chains.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Tokeo

Feature-rich Bitcoin and Cardano wallet with self-custodial functionality

Multi-chain architecture supporting Bitcoin, Cardano, Sui, and expanding blockchain networks

Established user base and proven wallet infrastructure

Garden Finance

HTLCs-based cross-chain atomic swaps enabling zero slippage.

Trusted infrastructure that has processed over $1.6 billion in volume over the past 12 months, led by an experienced team that previously built the Ren Protocol ($12+ billion volume).

Battle tested SDK/APIs for projects on Cardano to build cross-chain applications.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Smart Contract Deployment & Testnet Integration

Milestone Outputs

• Test, perform a security audit, and deploy Garden HTLC smart contracts on Cardano Testnet.
• Upgrade Garden solvers/market makers to support Cardano.
• Tokeo assists on Smart Contract testing and integration for Cardano on Garden’s testnet

Acceptance Criteria

• HTLC smart contracts are deployed on the Cardano testnet.
• Solvers successfully route trades involving Cardano tokens on testnet.
• Integrate Cardano into Garden Testnet FE.
• Tokeo assistane provision.

Evidence of Completion

• Support live for Cardano on Garden’s user-facing app with 1-2 assets supported on testnet.
• Garden routes testing by both team confirmed and provided.
• Screenshots showing what swaps will look like/how they’ll work.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

35000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

UI/UX Development for Seamless Swap Experience

Milestone Outputs

• Tokeo team designs intuitive user journeys for initiating and completing Garden Finance swaps.
• Develop seamless frontend interface supporting ideation phase of swaps e and pre-production swap functionality.

Acceptance Criteria

• UI planning, creation, and implementation completed for full frontend supporting Garden swaps via Tokeo (testnet/pre-prod).
• User journeys for initiating and completing swaps are clear, intuitive, and meet usability requirements.
• Integration passes QA/testing- o major front-end bugs; swap flows work as intended.
• Design/UI reviewed and approved by both Tokeo and Garden Finance teams.

Evidence of Completion

• Final UI design is available and accessible for review and demonstration.
• Social media report and video walkthrough published highlighting features and demonstrating product.
• Documentation added to Tokeo and Garden channels.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

10000

Progress

40 %

Milestone Title

SDK/API Expansion & Multi-Asset Support

Milestone Outputs

• Garden adds:
  • Support for Cardano in Garden’s SDK/API and update the documentation.
  • Support for more assets on the user-facing app and SDK/API.
• Tokeo facilitates complete API development/testing and supports integration of Garden Finance endpoints for Cardano and new assets.

Acceptance Criteria

• ADA support inclusion on Garden’s user-facing app and the SDK/APIs.
• Release notes and updated integration guides publicly available
• Marketing of API and SDK via social media and other relevant channels

Evidence of Completion

• Release notes or changelogs highlighting Cardano support.
• Cardano-specific integration guides on Garden
• Confirmation from Tokeo wallet showing newly supported routes.

Delivery Month

3

Cost

20000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

Production Launch of Atomic Swaps in Tokeo

Milestone Outputs

Official release and production launch of Garden Finance atomic swaps integrated into the Tokeo wallet, enabling Cardano users to seamlessly swap ADA and BTC within a secure, audited, and user-friendly interface.

Acceptance Criteria

• Fully functional, public release of Tokeo wallet supporting ADA/BTC atomic swaps through Garden Finance.
• Successful routing, settlement, and completion of swaps verified via live production use.
• End-to-end product demos completed for grants team and user community.
• User onboarding/training materials updated to include Garden swap features.
• In-app swap analytics enabled and accessible for both teams.

Evidence of Completion

• Availability and documentation of Garden swaps feature in Tokeo wallet (user guides, FAQs).
• End-user testimonials or feedback from first live users.
• Public announcement and launch demo.
• Screenshots, video walkthrough, and published analytics summary.

Delivery Month

4

Cost

20000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Documentation, Marketing, and Community Outreach

Milestone Outputs

• Finalize and publish all project documentation (technical docs, user guides).
• Produce and disseminate marketing materials through socials and other channels.
• Conduct targeted community outreach and share project results.

Acceptance Criteria

• Complete technical documentation and user guides available online.
• Marketing campaigns run and materials published across major channels.
• Community engagement with visible participation and feedback.

Evidence of Completion

• Publicly accessible documentation and tutorials.
• Published marketing deliverables (press, videos, social).
• Reports/summaries from community outreach and campaign analytics

Delivery Month

5

Cost

15000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1 35,000 Smart Contract Development & Audit

• Garden Infrastructure Upgrade

• Tokeo Integration & Testing

Milestone 2 10,000 UI/UX Development

• Quality Assurance & Testing

Milestone 3 20,000 SDK/API Development

• Asset Support Expansion

Milestone 4 20,000 Production Launch

• User Onboarding & Analytics

Milestone 5 15,000 Documentation & Technical Writing

• Marketing & Community Outreach

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

The project is cost-effective because it brings Cardano immediate access to proven cross-chain Bitcoin bridging, using existing, trusted technology from both Garden Finance and Tokeo.

This means quick delivery, minimized risks, and new DeFi utility for all Cardano users and developers, without the expense of building from scratch. Additionally, we estimate cumulative trading volume reaches or exceeds $30M (inbound/outbound) within 12 months post-launch.

The integration will benefit the entire ecosystem, unlock new liquidity, and promote Cardano’s competitiveness, maximizing the return on investment for the funds requested.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes