Privacy coin Monero gained an unlikely supporter this week as Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson openly praised its latest network development. The launch of the FCMP++ beta stressnet—a privacy upgrade developers have spent years building—entered public testing.
How FCMP++ Works: From 16 Outputs to 150 Million
The second public stressnet for FCMP++ and CARROT went live on May 6 at block 2,997,100. Instead of proving ownership within a small group of outputs, the new system references the entire blockchain history. Developers explained that FCMP++ replaces traditional ring signatures with full-chain membership proofs, expanding ownership verification from 16 outputs to over 150 million across the blockchain. Consequently, privacy protections become significantly stronger for network users.
Hoskinson described the launch as a “massive deal” for Monero. He praised the project's developers for remaining committed to long-term infrastructure work despite increasing scrutiny surrounding privacy cryptocurrencies. His comments quickly circulated across crypto communities because Cardano and Monero rarely overlap in public discussions.
Cardano Hard Fork Advances: Testnet Reaches Key Stage
Monero's stressnet launch coincided with a critical period for the Cardano ecosystem. The van Rossem hard fork governance action reached the Preview testnet stage this week, while developers released Cardano Node 11.0.1 Pre-Release along with DB Sync 13.7.0.5 support updates. These upgrades support Protocol Version 11 and prepare the network for the upcoming intra-era hard fork transition.
Both Monero and Cardano entered critical development phases almost simultaneously. Monero developers continued testing CARROT alongside FCMP++, focusing on improving privacy, security, and address usability while maintaining compatibility with existing addresses. Developers confirmed both FCMP++ and CARROT had been under development for more than two years before entering this stressnet stage.
Hoskinson's reaction added unusual cross-community recognition to Monero's latest technical milestone. The simultaneous progress across both blockchain networks highlighted continued focus on infrastructure development despite uncertain market conditions.