As of October 16, 2026, Cardano has about 42.6 million ADA left under its current treasury withdrawal cap for new withdrawals. The treasury holds approximately 1.378 billion ADA, but withdrawals during the current period have reached about 457.4 million ADA, leaving only around 8.5% of the 500 million ADA limit. A pending strategic copper reserve proposal is seeking 22 million ADA. If approved in full without a change to the cap, it would consume more than half of the remaining capacity and reduce the balance available for new withdrawals to about 20.6 million ADA.
Executed withdrawals have reached 457.4M ADA
The current net change limit (NCL) applies from Epoch 613 through Epoch 713. The period began on February 13, 2026, and is expected to end around July 3, 2027. The cap measures the total amount actually withdrawn from the treasury during the period, rather than the net amount after treasury income or returned funds are deducted.
As of October 16, 30 treasury withdrawal actions approved since Epoch 613 had been executed, totaling 457,395,629 ADA. Against the 500 million ADA cap, that leaves 42,604,371 ADA. Applications that have not been approved, remain in draft form, or have not been formally executed do not count toward the used amount. The available capacity falls only when funds are actually withdrawn from the treasury.
| Current-period withdrawal cap | ADA |
|---|---|
| Approved withdrawal limit | 500,000,000 |
| Executed withdrawals | 457,395,629 |
| Remaining withdrawal capacity | 42,604,371 |
Treasury holdings and withdrawal capacity are separate measures. The balance recorded for Epoch 661 was about 1.378 billion ADA, up from roughly 1.337 billion ADA in Epoch 650, an increase of approximately 40.9 million ADA. That increase did not change the withdrawal cap for the current period. New income, donations, fee revenue, or returned unused funds can increase treasury assets, but they do not offset withdrawals already counted against the period limit.
22M ADA copper reserve proposal remains pending
Cardano's strategic copper reserve proposal was introduced in Epoch 661 and seeks 22 million ADA from the treasury. As of October 16, it had not been approved or executed, so it had not reduced the current withdrawal capacity. If it is approved in full before other new withdrawals and the cap remains unchanged, the remaining capacity would fall from about 42.6 million ADA to approximately 20.6 million ADA.
The request would account for more than half of the currently available space. The proposal plans to return realized net proceeds from copper sales and unused funds over 36 months, but it does not guarantee the return of the original ADA principal. Even if funds later flow back to the treasury, those returns would increase treasury assets rather than reopen capacity under the current-period cap, which is based on total withdrawals. DReps therefore need to assess the proposal against the full 22 million ADA withdrawal when considering its effect on room for subsequent applications.
A separate 11,787,063 ADA request submitted by OpenZeppelin expired in Epoch 661 after failing to secure approval. It received no funding and did not consume any of the current-period capacity. Its proposed 12-month delivery schedule, with quarterly releases, never entered execution.
NCL requires governance approval
The 500 million ADA limit was recorded in an InfoAction submitted on July 2. The action received 62.35% support by stake-weighted DRep vote in the final voting summary for Epoch 647. DReps, or delegated representatives, exercise voting rights delegated by ADA holders.
The Cardano Constitution requires an NCL to receive support from more than 50% of active voting stake and prohibits withdrawals above the applicable limit. The Constitutional Committee reviews whether governance actions comply with the constitution, while each individual treasury withdrawal requires a separate approval. The InfoAction records consensus on the limit; it does not transfer funds directly or change protocol parameters on its own. In the InfoAction records reviewed as of October 16, 500 million ADA remained the latest NCL. Minutes from the Cardano Foundation's August 5 meeting also confirmed that amount.
Funded projects can continue under existing allocations
The most recent executed withdrawal was the 120 million ADA allocation approved in Epoch 650 for AlphaGrowth's Cardano PRIME project. It is included in the cumulative total of 457,395,629 ADA. Intersect manages the 12-month project, which is funded in stages. The arrangement includes a review of the third phase in the fourth month, along with conditions that can trigger the return of funds that are unused, unearned, or not yet released. The treasury's initial withdrawal and the later release of funds to the project are separate steps.
In an October 9 update, Intersect said that funding had been provided that week for MLabs' Plutarch and Ply maintenance contracts. The work is scheduled to run for 12 months across four quarterly periods. An October 2 update also said that withdrawn budget could remain within active contracts to support work in later months. As a result, subsequent project payments may come from existing allocations rather than requiring another treasury withdrawal.
The effect on current capacity depends on whether a new treasury withdrawal occurs, not on whether project teams still hold funds or have work remaining. Within the available balance, DReps can set priorities, consider smaller withdrawals, or defer applications. Governance participants can also establish a limit for later withdrawals through a new NCL.