Input Output, the engineering firm best known for building Cardano, has begun a sweeping restructuring that includes a name change and a move into technology sectors far beyond its blockchain origins. The company said on December 5 that it will drop “Global” from its name and operate as Input Output Group. It plans to expand into quantum computing, digital identity, fintech, and healthcare. Why is Cardano’s Engineering Firm Expanding Operations? Charles Hoskinson, the company’s founder, said the redesign reflects how far the organization has evolved from its initial focus on blockchain protocol engineering. He described the new phase as an effort to build a global technology group capable of addressing complex problems across fintech, privacy, artificial intelligence, and healthcare. Hoskinson added that the firm will continue to support Cardano’s core development. “As Input Output Group, we are entering a new chapter of expansion, investment, and innovation across the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and emerging markets,” he noted. The shift mirrors a broader trend in the crypto industry as firms diversify into areas that blend distributed systems, data infrastructure, and machine intelligence. A recent UN analysis estimates that rapid innovation could push the AI sector toward $5 trillion within a decade. That scale, the report said, will shape adjacent fields such as digital identity and quantum computing. By adding these sectors to its portfolio, Input Output aims to expand its commercial pipeline and attract enterprise clients. Notably, the company has already advanced its privacy technology work through Midnight. The blockchain is designed to support data protection and compliance for institutional users. Meanwhile, the restructuring arrives at a difficult time for Cardano, which has struggled to keep pace with competitors such as Solana and Ethereum. For context, Cardano hosts less than $50 million in stablecoin supply. On the other hand, rival ecosystems like Ethereum support hundreds of billions of these assets. Considering this, Hoskinson argued that Cardano’s slower uptake stems from narrative challenges, not technical limits. “It’s not a technology problem. It’s not a node problem. It’s not a problem of imagination and creativity. It’s not a problem of execution. We can pretty much do anything. It’s a problem of governance and coordination and ultimately accountability and responsibility,” Hoskinson said. Input Output is trying to counter that gap through a new coalition with Cardano’s founding organizations. The effort aims to accelerate integrations for tier-one stablecoins and custody providers. The firm hopes these additions will improve liquidity, deepen infrastructure, and strengthen Cardano’s appeal to developers and financial institutions.Input Output, the engineering firm best known for building Cardano, has begun a sweeping restructuring that includes a name change and a move into technology sectors far beyond its blockchain origins. The company said on December 5 that it will drop “Global” from its name and operate as Input Output Group. It plans to expand into quantum computing, digital identity, fintech, and healthcare. Why is Cardano’s Engineering Firm Expanding Operations? Charles Hoskinson, the company’s founder, said the redesign reflects how far the organization has evolved from its initial focus on blockchain protocol engineering. He described the new phase as an effort to build a global technology group capable of addressing complex problems across fintech, privacy, artificial intelligence, and healthcare. Hoskinson added that the firm will continue to support Cardano’s core development. “As Input Output Group, we are entering a new chapter of expansion, investment, and innovation across the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and emerging markets,” he noted. The shift mirrors a broader trend in the crypto industry as firms diversify into areas that blend distributed systems, data infrastructure, and machine intelligence. A recent UN analysis estimates that rapid innovation could push the AI sector toward $5 trillion within a decade. That scale, the report said, will shape adjacent fields such as digital identity and quantum computing. By adding these sectors to its portfolio, Input Output aims to expand its commercial pipeline and attract enterprise clients. Notably, the company has already advanced its privacy technology work through Midnight. The blockchain is designed to support data protection and compliance for institutional users. Meanwhile, the restructuring arrives at a difficult time for Cardano, which has struggled to keep pace with competitors such as Solana and Ethereum. For context, Cardano hosts less than $50 million in stablecoin supply. On the other hand, rival ecosystems like Ethereum support hundreds of billions of these assets. Considering this, Hoskinson argued that Cardano’s slower uptake stems from narrative challenges, not technical limits. “It’s not a technology problem. It’s not a node problem. It’s not a problem of imagination and creativity. It’s not a problem of execution. We can pretty much do anything. It’s a problem of governance and coordination and ultimately accountability and responsibility,” Hoskinson said. Input Output is trying to counter that gap through a new coalition with Cardano’s founding organizations. The effort aims to accelerate integrations for tier-one stablecoins and custody providers. The firm hopes these additions will improve liquidity, deepen infrastructure, and strengthen Cardano’s appeal to developers and financial institutions.

                                                                               Legal experts are concerned that transforming ESMA into the “European SEC” may hinder the licensing of crypto and fintech in the region.                     The European Commission’s proposal to expand the powers of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is raising concerns about the centralization of the bloc’s licensing regime, despite signaling deeper institutional ambitions for its capital markets structure.On Thursday, the Commission published a package proposing to “direct supervisory competences” for key pieces of market infrastructure, including crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), trading venues and central counterparties to ESMA, Cointelegraph reported.Concerningly, the ESMA’s jurisdiction would extend to both the supervision and licensing of all European crypto and financial technology (fintech) firms, potentially leading to slower licensing regimes and hindering startup development, according to Faustine Fleuret, head of public affairs at decentralized lending protocol Morpho.Read more