Cardano Foundation and EMURGO’s combined treasury request for the Cardano Summit and Token2049 Singapore has landed in the middle of a heated community debate. The ask stands at 14 million ADA, a figure that, at current prices, runs into millions of dollars pulled from a governance-controlled treasury that ADA holders spent months building.
User @astroboysoup flagged the scale of the pushback on X, writing that the community reaction to both the Cardano Foundation’s and EMURGO’s treasury requests for the Cardano Summit and Token2049 Singapore was very strong, adding: “It’s a lot of ADA at today’s prices. 14M ADA!”
Hoskinson Wants Offices, Not Event Parties
Input Output Global founder Charles Hoskinson responded directly, and he did not soften the criticism. On X, Hoskinson said the funds could be better spent building a network of global offices that operate like the Buenos Aires setup, with biweekly events, hackathons, community building, and venture incubation. In his post on X, he wrote that for the cost of this single proposal, five to six offices could run for a full year, staff included.
The Buenos Aires office already runs events drawing between 100 and 200 people, held twice monthly. The Pythathon was the most recent. That is a ground-level operation producing measurable turnout on a fraction of what Token2049 demands.
Hoskinson’s words on X put the contrast plainly:
“We have to grow the base and spread the good word, not have expensive parties with the converted.”
That sentence lands differently when you consider Token2049 Singapore draws a crowd that is, by design, already inside crypto. The 14M ADA would reach people who already know what Cardano is.
The Treasury Question Behind the Debate
This is not Cardano’s first friction point over treasury spending. The community approved 96 million ADA, roughly $71 million, for IOG network upgrades in August 2025 with a 74% approval rate, according to AInvest. That vote drew scrutiny over transparency and whether the proposal should have been split into smaller pieces. The concerns then rhyme with what holders are raising now.
Cardano’s on-chain treasury holds over $1 billion in ADA, per Messari’s State of Cardano Q4 2025 report. The Voltaire governance era made that treasury directly accessible through community votes, which is exactly why spending decisions like this one are now public fights rather than internal ones.
EMURGO pushed a separate “Unified Global Events Marketing Strategy,” which cleared an initial vote with nearly 80% support and moved to a Treasury Withdrawal vote. That proposal covers Token2049, Consensus 2026, WebX Asia, and Blockchain Rio. The Cardano Foundation’s request for the Summit sits alongside it.
What the Buenos Aires Model Actually Proves
The Buenos Aires argument is not theoretical. Cardano’s office there runs a real schedule with real attendance. Two events a month, a recent hackathon, and a community that shows up consistently. Hoskinson’s point is that this model, replicated across five or six cities, costs less than one season of conference marketing aimed at an already-converted crowd.
That framing matters for ADA holders outside the usual crypto conference circuit. For communities in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, a local office with regular programming builds something conferences cannot: ongoing engagement, developer pipelines, and grassroots adoption. Token2049 Singapore does not grow the base in Nairobi or Lagos. A funded office might.
The community debate is live. The treasury vote has not closed, and the volume of response noted by @astroboysoup on X suggests ADA holders are watching both proposals closely before any withdrawal clears.
