The Interchain Foundation (ICF) has funded Hadron Labs for ongoing maintenance of the CosmWasm smart contract platform. This agreement guarantees sustained open-source development and operational stability for CosmWasm through December 31, 2027.
CosmWasm is a Rust-based smart contract platform available only to chains using the Cosmos SDK. Hadron Labs is a core contributor to Neutron, one of the leading CosmWasm-based projects and ecosystems, and Drop, a liquid staking protocol on Neutron. Hadron Labs is also a member of the Lido Alliance. Their deep technical expertise and proven track record make them the ideal team to maintain this platform.
About the Ongoing Maintenance
Hadron labs will be responsible for maintenance, triaging issues, security, and ongoing product development of CosmWasm. Under the agreement, all contributions must be open source under Apache 2.0, and Cosmwasm must remain compatible with the Cosmos stack. Hadron Labs will be setting the roadmap for CosmWasm.
Hadron Labs’ Responsibilities Include:
- Security and Disclosure Response and Reporting: Timely triaging and resolution of bugs and vulnerabilities, aligned with the ICF bug bounty program requirements.
- Releases and Dependencies: Maintenance of existing supported releases and dependencies across CosmWasm components, including wasmvm, wasmd, serde-json-wasm, sw-plus, cw-storage-plus, and cw-utils – as well as ongoing maintenance and reporting of releases.
About Hadron Labs
The Interchain Foundation and Interchain Labs recognize the importance and ongoing impact of CosmWasm as a technology. Hadron Labs is uniquely positioned to take on this responsibility as one of the most extensive users of CosmWasm and contributors to CosmWasm in the Cosmos ecosystem. Their engineering team possesses significant expertise in the CosmWasm platform, positioning them well to maintain the platform in the coming years.
Notable Hadron Labs contributions to CosmWasm include:
- Supporting the Neutron Foundation in becoming the first and largest CW subscriber, providing Confio with financial support
- In conjunction with the Neutron Foundation, funding dozens of teams building in CW, including sponsoring smart contract audits
- Organizing, participating in, and sponsoring CW hackathons
- Supporting the creation of CW educational content
- Lobbying with the Neutron Foundation and community to get CW recognized as a core stack component by the ICF
“Hadron Labs’ work on Neutron and Drop gives us high confidence that CosmWasm will be well-supported for the years to come. We see CosmWasm’s impact on the ecosystem and want to ensure its longevity and support for those that rely on it the most. Hadron Labs will continue to collaborate with other Wasm-centric Cosmos projects in the community and support the maintenance and development of CosmWasm,” said Barry Plunkett, Interchain Labs Co-CEO.
“CosmWasm has supported the proliferation of secure, performant applications on Neutron since genesis in 2023. We’re excited to continue its development at Hadron Labs, both as a public good and as a tool to extend Neutron’s vision to unleash BTC DeFi.” – Avril Dutheil, CEO of Hadron Labs
Looking Ahead
The Interchain Foundation extends its sincere gratitude to Confio, the original developers of CosmWasm, for their years of dedication and contributions. Their work laid the foundation for this next phase of sustainable, community-driven smart contract infrastructure.
With Hadron Labs’ stewardship, CosmWasm is well-positioned to remain a reliable, open, and evolving technology for the Cosmos ecosystem for years to come.
Maghnus Mareneck, Barry Plunkett, and Avril Duthiel are available for comment.
About the Interchain Foundation. The Interchain Foundation (ICF) is a Swiss-based non-profit organization dedicated to advancing open-source, decentralized blockchain infrastructure. As the steward of the Cosmos ecosystem and IBC, ICF funds research, development, and community initiatives to drive the future of the interchain economy.
About Interchain Labs. The Interchain Labs team is the ICF’s main subsidiary, in charge of engineering, product, marketing and growth for the Interchain Stack, Cosmos Hub, and its ecosystem.
About Hadron Labs. Founded in 2022 and led by crypto-natives with experience from Lido, P2P, Consensys, Uniswap, Balancer, Trader Joe, and Delv, Hadron Labs are core contributors to Neutron, Drop, Duality, and Bull vs. Bear.
