Utila Enterprise MPC Support for the Cardano Ecosystem

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Utila Enterprise MPC Support for the Cardano Ecosystem

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

695000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

10

[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 institutional-grade MPC custody, preventing enterprises from adopting ADA, staking, tokenization, and DeFi workflows securely, and prohibiting institutional adoption.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://utila.io/
,
• https://utila.io/blog/utila-secures-18m-series-a-funding/
,
• https://utila.io/blog/utila-secures-22-million-series-a-extension/

[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 dependancies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

No

Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.

The integration will run within Utila’s institutional MPC platform, which is proprietary and not open source. Public-facing outputs will be shared where appropriate. For these, the open-source and licensing approach will be assessed during implementation, balancing commercial needs with Cardano ecosystem interests. Cardano-specific elements may be released openly, while sensitive MPC components remain proprietary.

[Theme Selection] Theme

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

Infrastructure

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe your established collaborations.

Utila is the lead applicant and will execute the full technical integration into its institutional MPC platform. Hashpoint acts as a strategic collaborator supporting ecosystem alignment, scoping, and identification of relevant Cardano use cases and institutional segments. This collaboration ensures that the integration is delivered smoothly, meets ecosystem needs, and is informed by active engagement with Cardano stakeholders and potential adopters.

Describe funding commitments.

Utila will contribute significant in-kind resources, including engineering, architecture, infrastructure, and product management capacity. The Catalyst grant covers only the Cardano-specific development work, while Utila absorbs the majority of platform, MPC infrastructure, and operational costs. This shared investment model ensures long-term sustainability and demonstrates Utila’s commitment to supporting Cardano beyond the grant period.

Describe your key performance metrics.

• Number of existing Utila clients interacting with the Cardano network through this integration - Measures activation and adoption among Utila’s current institutional user base.
• Number of new Utila customers acquired as a result of supporting Cardano - Captures the integration’s contribution to Utila’s commercial growth and Cardano ecosystem expansion.
• Transaction volume processed on the Cardano network through Utila’s MPC platform - Tracks meaningful usage and institutional engagement with ADA, CNTs, and supported Cardano features.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Enterprises, custodians, exchanges, and institutional investors require secure and compliant infrastructure before they can adopt a blockchain at scale. While Cardano provides strong cryptography and a robust protocol design, it lacks an institutional-grade MPC custody solution that supports ADA, Cardano Native Tokens, staking, governance, and advanced transaction workflows. This gap blocks institutional adoption and prevents regulated actors from interacting with Cardano safely.

Utila is an institutional grade MPC wallet provider serving more than 200 clients worldwide, including hedge funds, market makers, custodians, asset managers, fintechs, and stablecoin issuers. The platform supports more than 15 billion dollars in monthly transaction volume across multiple chains and is trusted by regulated financial institutions. Notable clients include Fasanara, Arca, Psalion, 1Konto, and Bitwyre. Utila provides multi user approval workflows, compliance tooling, audit transparency, and secure MPC based transaction orchestration. This track record positions Utila as a credible and capable partner to deliver a secure and scalable Cardano integration.

This proposal delivers a complete, production-level Cardano integration into Utila’s institutional MPC platform. Utila will implement ADA, CNTs, staking, governance, and a generic transaction signer that enables advanced activity such as DeFi interactions for power users. All Cardano operations will run through Utila’s multi-party approval engine, compliance workflows, audit trails, and policy-based transaction controls.

The integration will follow the milestone structure aligned with the Cardano Foundation. This includes the architecture blueprint, ADA support, staking and CNT support including tokenization flows, governance capabilities, and a generic signer that allows any Cardano transaction type to be executed through Utila’s MPC infrastructure.

This is not a prototype. It is a full production integration intended for use by custodians, exchanges, market makers, payment platforms, asset managers, fintechs, and enterprise treasuries. The result is a secure and compliant institutional pathway for interacting with the Cardano network.

Utila will also publish public documentation, an integration overview, and guidance for partners and enterprise users. These outputs will make it easier for institutions to adopt Cardano and for other providers to understand how to build on top of this work.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

This integration removes a major barrier to institutional adoption on Cardano by providing secure MPC custody, staking, governance, tokenization, and advanced transaction capabilities. These features are required for exchanges, custodians, market makers, asset managers, and enterprise treasuries to operate safely on any blockchain. By enabling these capabilities on Cardano, the project directly expands the ecosystem’s capacity to handle institutional users and regulated financial activity.

The integration is expected to drive meaningful increases in on chain activity. Utila’s existing institutional clients will gain the ability to transact, stake, tokenize assets, and execute advanced operations on Cardano through a secure MPC workflow. The generic signer immediately unlocks DeFi capabilities for power users and allows secure execution of any Cardano transaction type. These capabilities are the foundation for sustained transaction volume generated by institutional entities.

The collaboration with Hashpoint ensures that the integration aligns with ecosystem priorities and targets the most relevant use cases. Utila’s production infrastructure and active client pipeline create a clear path for both activation of current clients and attraction of new clients who require secure institutional access to Cardano.

The overall impact includes higher on chain transaction volume, increased staking participation, growth in CNT activity, and additional enterprise flows such as treasury operations and governance interactions. Public documentation and integration guidance will support continued growth and allow others in the ecosystem to build upon this work.

[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?

Utila has the proven capability to deliver this project with high levels of trust, security, and accountability. The company operates a production institutional MPC platform used by hedge funds, market makers, asset managers, custodians, fintechs, and stablecoin issuers. Utila processes significant monthly transaction volume across multiple supported chains and maintains enterprise standards for security, compliance, operational controls, and service reliability. This track record demonstrates Utila’s ability to execute a full Cardano integration at production quality. For selected list of customers: https://utila.io/customer-stories/

The project will be delivered by Utila’s experienced engineering, product, and architecture teams, supported by Hashpoint. HashPoint has deep roots in the Cardano ecosystem and a proven track record delivering and supporting Cardano integrations, for example that of checkpoint.com. This ensures that the project remains aligned with ecosystem needs and follows established technical and community expectations.

Feasibility will be validated through an early architecture and feasibility milestone, close collaboration with the Cardano Foundation, internal testing, integration testing, and iterative validation with selected institutional users. The milestone structure ensures every component is tested, reviewed, and verified before the next phase begins. This approach guarantees that the integration is technically feasible, aligned with ecosystem needs, and ready for secure production use.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Architecture and Integration Blueprint

Milestone Outputs

(A) Ecosystem Survey Report

A brief survey that identifies potential Utila users within the Cardano ecosystem and summarizes their relevance to institutional MPC custody.

(B) Architecture and Integration Blueprint

A short architecture document outlining the main components, data flows, and integration approach for Cardano support in the Utila MPC platform.

(C) Refined Scope and Project Plan

A concise project plan that includes the refined scope, milestone sequencing, and technical dependencies for the Cardano integration.

Acceptance Criteria

For Output (A):

1. The survey includes at least 10 relevant entities from the Cardano ecosystem.
2. The entities identified represent at least 4 different business lines, such as SPOs, treasuries, DeFi protocols, stablecoin issuers, tokenization platforms, custodians, or exchanges.
3. For each identified entity, the survey provides a short description of their business, their relevance to institutional MPC custody, and their potential alignment with the Utila integration.

For Output (B):

1. The blueprint outlines the main system components required for ADA, CNTs, staking, governance, and the generic signer.
2. The document describes how Cardano components will interface with Utila’s MPC infrastructure, including key integration points and operational considerations.
3. The blueprint captures the high level data flows, security assumptions, and operational requirements relevant to Cardano support.

For Output (C):

1. The refined scope incorporates the insights gathered from the ecosystem survey and the architecture blueprint.
2. The project plan includes milestone sequencing, timelines, and technical dependencies that align with Utila’s internal development processes.

Evidence of Completion

For Output (A): Survey document shared as a PDF

For Output (B): Architecture and integration blueprint shared as a pdf or md

For Output (C): Refined scope and project plan shared as a PDF.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

75000

Progress

10 %

Milestone Title

Core Chain Integration and ADA Transactions Support

Milestone Outputs

(A) Node and Indexer Connectivity: Operational node and indexer setup enabling reliable access to chain data, balances, UTXOs, and metadata.

(B) ADA Transaction Support: Functional support for ADA transfers including signing, validation, and multi-user approval workflows inside Utila’s MPC platform.

(C) ADA Account and Policy User Guide: A user guide that covers ADA approval processes, policy workflows, and operational flows required for institutional use of ADA within Utila.

Acceptance Criteria

For Output (A):

1. A Cardano node and indexer are operational with performance suitable for institutional usage.
2. Indexing supports balance queries, transaction history, UTXO lookup, and metadata retrieval.
3. Monitoring is in place for node health, indexing performance, and synchronization status.

For Output (B):

1. The platform supports ADA transaction creation, signing, and broadcasting within Utila’s MPC framework.
2. Multi-user approval flows for ADA transactions are implemented according to Utila’s internal governance standards.
3. Balance and UTXO management necessary for ADA transactions is fully functional.

For Output (C):

1. The user guide covers basic account creation and ADA transfers within Utila.
2. The guide describes institutional approval workflows and policy controls for ADA usage, such as spending limits or role-based authorizations.

Evidence of Completion

For Output (A): Technical verification document or screenshots showing active node connection, indexer queries, and synced chain data.

For Output (B): Link to video demonstrating ADA transaction creation, signing, approval, and broadcast.

For Output (C): The ADA account and policy user guide shared as a PDF.

Delivery Month

4

Cost

135000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

Institutional Staking Support

Milestone Outputs

(A) Staking Delegation Support: Functional staking delegation and undelegation flows integrated with Utila’s MPC infrastructure.

(B) Reward Visibility and Stake State Queries: Support for querying stake pool information, delegation status, and earned rewards.

(C) Staking Workflow User Guide: A concise guide describing staking operations, approvals, and institutional usage patterns.

Acceptance Criteria

For Output (A):

1. The platform supports staking delegation and undelegation through signed Cardano transactions.
2. MPC signing flows for staking operations follow Utila’s internal approval and governance standards.
3. Delegation actions can be initiated, approved, and executed through Utila’s multi-user workflows.

For Output (B):

1. Stake address registration, delegation state, and reward balances can be queried through the node or indexer.
2. Reward history and current stake positions are displayed accurately within Utila.
3. Pool selection information is accessible for delegation decision-making.

For Output (C):

1. The user guide explains how to initiate, approve, and complete staking actions within Utila.
2. The guide outlines institutional approval workflows and policy considerations for staking operations.

Evidence of Completion

For Output (A): Link to video demonstrating staking delegation and undelegation actions executed through Utila.

For Output (B): Screenshots or technical verification demonstrating stake state, pool details, and rewards being queried successfully.

For Output (C): The staking workflow user guide shared as a PDF.

Delivery Month

5

Cost

120000

Progress

50 %

Milestone Title

CNTs and Tokenization Support

Milestone Outputs

(A) CNT Support: Functional support for custody, viewing, and transferring CNTs through Utila’s MPC platform.

(B) Tokenization Workflows: Support for token minting, burning, or issuance workflows aligned with Cardano standards and institutional requirements.

(C) CNT Operations User Guide: A user guide covering asset operations, metadata handling, roles, policies, and approval flows for token activities.

Acceptance Criteria

For Output (A):

1. The platform supports sending and receiving CNTs through MPC-controlled transactions.
2. Asset metadata is retrieved and displayed where supported by indexer data.
3. Approval workflows for CNT transfers follow institutional governance patterns used in Utila.

For Output (B):

1. Tokenization workflows for CNT minting, burning, or issuance are supported through validated Cardano transaction types.
2. Required MPC signing steps for these operations are functional and secure.
3. Policy controls are defined for token operations with appropriate institutional approval steps.

For Output (C):

1. The user guide documents CNT operations including transfers, metadata visibility, and asset management.
2. The guide includes tokenization procedures and approval workflows for minting and burning.

Evidence of Completion

For Output (A): Link to video demonstrating CNT custody, transfers, and metadata visibility.

For Output (B): Screenshots or verification documents demonstrating tokenization workflows executed through Utila.

For Output (C): The CNT operations user guide shared as a PDF.

Delivery Month

7

Cost

130000

Progress

70 %

Milestone Title

Governance and Generic Signer

Milestone Outputs

(A) Governance Transaction Support: Functional support for governance actions such as voting, submitting governance transactions, or participating in protocol updates where applicable.

(B) Generic Signer Framework: A flexible signing mechanism that allows MPC-secured execution of any Cardano transaction type, enabling access to DeFi and advanced operations.

(C) Governance and Generic Signer User Guide: A user guide describing how to initiate, approve, and execute governance and generic signing operations within Utila.

Acceptance Criteria

For Output (A):

1. The platform supports governance-related Cardano transactions through Utila’s MPC signing flows.
2. Governance actions can be initiated, approved, and executed via Utila’s multi-user workflows.
3. Governance transaction history and status can be viewed within Utila where applicable.

For Output (B):

1. The generic signer supports any Cardano transaction type that follows standard Cardano serialization.
2. Generic signing requests can be initiated by users, validated, approved, and executed through MPC.
3. The signing framework includes role-based approval and policy controls consistent with Utila’s institutional standards.

For Output (C):

1. The user guide covers initiation, approval, and completion of governance actions within Utila.
2. The guide explains how to use the generic signer to interact with DeFi protocols or any advanced transaction type.

Evidence of Completion

For Output (A): Link to video showing governance actions executed via Utila.

For Output (B): Demonstration or verification document showing generic signing of one or more advanced Cardano transaction types.

For Output (C): Governance and generic signer user guide shared as a PDF.

Delivery Month

9

Cost

130000

Progress

90 %

Milestone Title

Documentation, Public Release, and Project Close Out

Milestone Outputs

(A) Public Documentation Package: A consolidated set of public-facing documents summarizing the Cardano integration, supported features, and usage guidance.

(B) Catalyst Final Report: The mandatory written report describing project delivery, milestones, and ecosystem impact.

(C) Catalyst Close Out Video: A short video summarizing the project, its outputs, and the value delivered to the Cardano ecosystem.

(D) Public Campaign Announcement: A public announcement describing completion of the Cardano integration, including direct outreach to potential adopters within the Cardano ecosystem and Utila’s client base.

Acceptance Criteria

For Output (A):

1. Public materials describe supported operations and institutional usage patterns at a high level.
2. Documentation is published in a format accessible to the Cardano community.

(B) Final closeout report is publicly available according to the standard required for Project Catalyst.

(C) Final closeout video is publicly available according to the standard required for Project Catalyst.

For Output (D):

1. A public announcement is published on at least one official Utila communication channel.
2. Direct communication is sent to relevant potential adopters within the Cardano ecosystem and Utila’s client base.

Evidence of Completion

For Output (A): Public documentation package shared as a PDF or public link.

For Output (B): Link to pdf with the Catalyst final report.

For Output (C): Link to the Catalyst close out video.

For Output (D):

1. Screenshot or link to the public announcement
2. Link to pdf with a brief written summary confirming that direct outreach to relevant ecosystem participants and Utila clients was completed

Delivery Month

10

Cost

105000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Total Budget: 695,000 ADA

Utila will provide significant in kind contributions, including engineering capacity, infrastructure and node hosting, security and compliance review, product management, internal testing resources, and long term maintenance that is not included in the budget below. Catalyst funds cover only the Cardano specific integration work. All operating costs for the Utila platform and additional internal deployment work are fully funded by Utila.

Budget Breakdown by Milestones -

Milestone 1: Architecture and Integration Blueprint (6–8 weeks) — 75,000 ADA

• Architecture Research and Technical Design: 30,000 ADA
• Ecosystem Survey and Scope Refinement: 15,000 ADA
• Planning, Specifications, and Workflows: 20,000 ADA
• Project Coordination and Internal Alignment: 10,000 ADA

Milestone 2: Core Chain Integration and ADA Transactions Support (8–10 weeks) — 135,000 ADA

• Node and indexer setup, configuration, and performance tuning: 30,000 ADA
• Chain data integration: 25,000 ADA
• ADA transaction flow development: 40,000 ADA
• Approval and policy workflow integration: 25,000 ADA
• Testing and QA: 10,000 ADA
• Project coordination and delivery oversight: 5,000 ADA

Milestone 3: Institutional Staking Support (6–8 weeks) — 120,000 ADA

• Design and specification of staking workflows: 25,000 ADA
• Development of staking key and delegation processes: 35,000 ADA
• Integration of staking logic into Utila’s institutional workflows: 25,000 ADA
• Testing, QA, and validation of staking operations: 20,000 ADA
• Project coordination and progress oversight: 15,000 ADA

Milestone 4: CNTs and Tokenization Support (7–9 weeks) — 130,000 ADA

• Design and specification of CNT and tokenization workflows: 25,000 ADA
• Development of CNT custody and transfer logic: 35,000 ADA
• Implementation of token minting and burning workflows: 35,000 ADA
• Metadata and indexer enhancements for token operations: 20,000 ADA
• Testing and QA for all token-related flows: 10,000 ADA
• Project coordination and delivery oversight: 5,000 ADA

Milestone 5: Governance and Generic Signer (7–9 weeks) — 130,000 ADA

• Design and specification of governance and advanced signing workflows: 25,000 ADA
• Development of governance transaction support: 35,000 ADA
• Implementation of the generic signer framework: 40,000 ADA
• Integration of advanced and DeFi-enabling signing flows: 20,000 ADA
• Testing and QA across all signing workflows: 5,000 ADA
• Project coordination and delivery oversight: 5,000 ADA

Milestone 6: Documentation, Release, and Project Close Out (4–6 weeks) — 105,000 ADA

• Preparation of public documentation package: 25,000 ADA
• Production of Catalyst final report and close out video: 25,000 ADA
• Public campaign and direct outreach to potential adopters: 30,000 ADA
• Release preparation, support, and final reviews: 20,000 ADA
• Project coordination and close out administration: 5,000 ADA

Budget Distribution Summary

• Technical Development and Implementation: 455,000 ADA (65.5%)
• Infrastructure, Setup, and Chain Operations: 95,000 ADA (13.7%)
• Product, QA, and Release Activities: 80,000 ADA (11.5%)
• Project Coordination, Documentation, and Outreach: 65,000 ADA (9.4%)

Total: 695,000 ADA (100%)

Budget Management Notes:

• All costs include necessary software licenses and operational expenses
• Each milestone includes a small contingency buffer for unexpected expenses
• Infrastructure costs are distributed across relevant milestones
• Regular financial reporting and auditing will be implemented

The budget structure ensures:

• Clear allocation of resources per milestone
• Adequate funding for critical development phases
• Proper documentation and quality assurance throughout the project
• Dedicated resources for project coordination and administration

This budget has been designed to support the successful delivery of all project objectives while maintaining flexibility for adjustments based on design phase learnings and scaling requirements.

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

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

This proposal delivers strong value for money by combining Catalyst funding with substantial in kind investment from Utila. The grant covers only the Cardano specific integration work, while Utila absorbs the majority of costs related to engineering capacity, infrastructure, security, product management, and long term platform maintenance. This co investment model ensures that Cardano benefits from enterprise grade capabilities at a fraction of the cost requested by other dominant providers.

For DeFi growth and enterprise adoption Cardano needs integration with MPC wallets.Utila operates a mature institutional MPC platform that already supports multiple chains and serves hedge funds, custodians, asset managers, fintechs, and stablecoin issuers. Leveraging this existing infrastructure significantly reduces development overhead and allows Cardano to be added as a production ready chain without duplicating foundational work.

The integration focuses on immediate usability and measurable impact. It enables institutional access to ADA, CNTs, staking, governance, and advanced transaction flows, creating adoption pathways that can generate sustained on chain activity. Because Utila has an active institutional client base, potential adopters can be onboarded from day one without requiring additional ecosystem investment.

The milestone structure ensures transparency, quality, and accountability. Each milestone includes clear outputs, acceptance criteria, and evidence of delivery. Public documentation and targeted communication will support independent adoption and reduce future integration costs for other providers.

Overall, the project offers Cardano a cost effective and high leverage integration that expands institutional access and unlocks long term value for the ecosystem.

[Self-Assessment] Self-Assessment Checklist

I confirm that the lead applicant is a verified legal business entity.

Yes

I confirm that the lead org has a ≥2-year track record, and the consortium collectively has ≥$5M in verifiable annual revenue.

Yes

I confirm that evidence of collaboration with a qualified Tier-1 enterprise is provided.

Yes

I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal is for mature R&D or integration, not an early-stage concept or core infrastructure.

Yes

I confirm that evidence of a mature product is provided, with a clear integration plan if not already on Cardano.

Yes

I confirm that all key partners, including the Tier-1 collaborator, are clearly identified.

Yes

I confirm that a clear statement of the partner's in-kind or financial contributions is included.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal provides verifiable references (e.g., LinkedIn, portfolio) for key team members.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal includes clear KPIs for adoption (e.g., transaction volume, user growth). Forecast for projected on-chain transaction volume is provided with adequate justification.

Yes

I confirm that delivery is ≤ 12 months with clear milestones.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal includes a co-marketing or community engagement plan to amplify Cardano's visibility.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal budget is for future work only, not for completed tasks. No incentives, giveaways, private treasuries and regranting are included in the budget.

Yes

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

I Agree

Yes