The Cardano Foundation — a Swiss non-profit and steward for the Cardano network, its open-source Layer 1 blockchain — has launched its new programmable token standard, CIP-0113, available on Cardano’s mainnet.
The release follows “extensive joint development efforts” with Cardano community experts and the completion of multiple independent security audits.
CIP-0113 can be used by issuers of stablecoins, tokenised funds, bonds, and other regulated assets to build compliance rules — such as Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) checks, sanctions screening, freeze and seize, and transfer restrictions — directly into their tokens.
According to Cardano, its ledger enforces rules each time a token is transferred, minted, or burned.
Compliance logic, built on the foundation’s extended UTXO ledger model, attaches to the token itself, and tokens issued under it remain native Cardano assets.
The foundation says issuers can select modular rule sets or create their own and apply upgrades as regulation changes without having to alter the core standard.
CIP-0113 launches with support from Eternl, GeroWallet, CardanoScan, and BloxBean.
The Swiss Capital Markets and Technology Association (CMTA) has recognised Cardano’s programmable asset tokens as a smart contract equivalent to the CMTA Token (CMTAT), the association's open standard, for its certification scheme.
CIP-0113 programmable tokens can be used to certify compliance of ledger-based equity securities under the CMTA’s standards, and include the mandatory functions in the CMTAT framework.
Speaking on the launch, Frederik Gregaard, CEO of the Cardano Foundation, says: “Programmable tokens on Cardano remain native assets on the ledger, with compliance enforced by the network itself rather than by a wrapper or a closed system.
“For banks, fund managers and stablecoin issuers deciding where to tokenise, that moves the conversation from what Cardano could do to what it does.”
Phil di Sarro, community expert and CEO of Anastasia Labs, comments: “When designing the original programmable tokens protocol, the goal was tokens with customised logic tailored to the needs of applications while retaining interoperability with Cardano’s existing ecosystem.”
Giovanni Gargiulo, senior blockchain architect at the Cardano Foundation, adds: “On Cardano, a programmable token is still a native asset, so the whole ecosystem can work with it, while the issuer’s rules are checked by the ledger on every transaction.
“That keeps costs predictable and lets issuers add new rules as regulations change, without touching the core protocol.”
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