Post-Crescendo Hardfork: What’s Next for Kaspa KAS?

The Kaspa blockchain, renowned for its unique BlockDAG architecture, launched its much-anticipated Crescendo Hardfork on May 5, 2025. This upgrade catapults the proof-of-work (PoW) blockchain to an impressive 10 blocks per second (BPS), positioning Kaspa among the fastest PoW blockchains globally. 

With this milestone achieved, attention now turns to Kaspa’s ambitious plans, from smart contracts to a Rust rewrite. Moreover, the blockchain innovation is expected to have a long-lasting impact on the Kaspa ecosystem. 

Understanding the Kaspa Crescendo Hardfork

Kaspa activated the Crescendo Hardfork, a transformative upgrade for its blockchain. Unlike traditional blockchains, Kaspa uses a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) structure, enabling high transaction throughput. The hardfork, detailed in Kaspa Improvement Proposal 14 (KIP14), increased the network’s block production rate from 1 BPS to 10 BPS, a tenfold leap in speed. This enhancement boosts scalability while preserving the network’s core principles of decentralization and security.

The upgrade also adjusted block rewards, reducing them to one-tenth of their previous value—for example, from 55 to 5.5—as outlined in a Kaspa FAQ. The transition was seamless, with hardware wallets like Ledger and Kaspa NG confirmed compatible, ensuring users could engage with the upgraded network effortlessly. The community celebrated the launch with global live streams, highlighting the widespread enthusiasm for this milestone.

The Immediate Impact of Crescendo

The Crescendo Hardfork has already made waves in the Kaspa ecosystem. Boosting the network to 10 BPS significantly enhances transaction throughput, benefiting miners and users alike. 

Kaspa’s development team is now focused on stabilizing the network at this new speed. According to the protocol’s blog, mempool policies will be fine-tuned using real-world data, such as the mainnet’s average DAG width, to optimize transaction processing. This step is crucial for maintaining reliability as the network scales.

In the meantime, the enhanced speed and scalability are poised to attract more users, developers, and institutional players, solidifying Kaspa’s position in the crypto landscape.

Kaspa’s Roadmap: What Lies Ahead

With the Crescendo Hardfork now live, Kaspa is gearing up for its next growth phase. The Kaspa’s official website outlines a series of technical upgrades, strategic initiatives, and community-driven efforts. Here’s a look at what’s on the horizon.

Stabilizing the 10 BPS Network

Kaspa’s immediate focus is ensuring the network runs smoothly at 10 BPS. Fine-tuning mempool policies will optimize transaction handling without requiring another hardfork. By leveraging real-time data, Kaspa aims to maintain stability and efficiency, reinforcing its reputation as a high-performance blockchain.

Rust Rewrite for Next-Level Performance

A cornerstone of Kaspa’s future is the ongoing rewrite of its core modules from GoLang to Rust, a high-performance programming language. According to a Kaspa documentation on the initiative, the Crescendo Hardfork could be the start of the network’s push for 32 BPS, a significant leap from the current 10 BPS. The Rust rewrite is a critical step toward Kaspa’s long-term vision of achieving 100 BPS, making it one of the fastest blockchains in existence.

“Given the above some concrete numbers, I believe a goal of 32 BPS is definitely possible, and even 100 BPS is a reasonable target. With our current block-size this would translate to 6400 – 20000 TPS. But block-size can also theoretically be increased to find a sustainable amount of TPS, where the only limiting factor becomes the internet connection itself,” a part of the documentation read. 

While no specific completion date has been shared, the Rust migration will enhance Kaspa’s ability to handle massive transaction volumes, attracting developers building decentralized applications (dApps). This upgrade underscores Kaspa’s commitment to staying at the forefront of blockchain technology.

DAG Knight Protocol for Enhanced Security

Another significant development is the DAG Knight Protocol, a consensus upgrade for Kaspa’s PHANTOM GHOSTDAG Protocol. This protocol strengthens security by resisting 50% of attacks without prior knowledge of network latency. Funded by a community crowdfund in December 2022, the DAG Knight Protocol targets a 32 BPS post-Rust rewrite, aligning with Kaspa’s scalability goals.

The protocol’s implementation will bolster user trust and institutional confidence, making Kaspa a more secure platform for financial and decentralized applications. While a timeline remains unspecified, it’s a key priority following the Crescendo Hardfork.

Smart Contracts and Layer 2 Solutions

Kaspa is making strides toward smart contract functionality, which could redefine its ecosystem. Since January 7, 2024, Testnet-11 has been experimenting with smart contracts. The Crescendo Hardfork enables preliminary layer 2 (L2) solutions through KIP-15, which supports trustless transaction archiving and sequencing. This paves the way for dApps, including Decentralized Finance (DeFi) platforms and Non-Fungible Token (NFT) marketplaces.

Ongoing discussions in Kaspa’s research forum about zero-knowledge (zk) rollups signal robust efforts to enhance L2 scalability. These advancements position Kaspa to compete with smart contract giants like Ethereum and Solana, broadening its appeal to developers and users.

Looking Forward

The Kaspa Crescendo Hardfork is a defining moment for the blockchain, cementing its status as a PoW innovator. With the network now running at 10 BPS, Kaspa is focused on optimization, technical advancements, and ecosystem growth. The Rust rewrite, DAG Knight Protocol, and smart contract capabilities promise to elevate scalability and utility. 

For investors, developers, and crypto enthusiasts, Kaspa’s technical advancements offer many opportunities. As the project pushes toward 32 BPS and beyond, it’s well-positioned to reshape the blockchain landscape. BSCN will watch Kaspa as it continues its journey to become the fastest, most secure PoW blockchain.