Kadena Shuts Down Operations Amid Market Pressures, Blockchain to Remain Decentralized

Quick Breakdown 

• Kadena has officially ceased all business operations due to market conditions.
• The Kadena blockchain will continue functioning through independent miners.
• A new binary will be released to ensure uninterrupted network operations.

Kadena, the blockchain platform known for its hybrid proof-of-work smart contract network, has announced an immediate halt to all business operations and active maintenance. 

KADENA PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

We regret to announce that the Kadena organization is no longer able to continue business operations and will be ceasing all business activity and active maintenance of the Kadena blockchain immediately.

We are tremendously grateful to everybody who…

— Kadena (@kadena_io) October 21, 2025

Kadena organization ceases business activities

The company cited unfavourable market conditions as the key reason behind the shutdown, marking a significant turn for one of the few proof-of-work projects emphasizing scalability and smart contract functionality.

Kadena has notified its employees and is retaining a small internal team to manage the transition and wind-down process. All business activities, including ongoing development and network promotion, have been suspended. Users and partners seeking further information have been directed to contact the organization through its official operations channel.

Network and token to continue without company oversight

Despite the organization’s closure, Kadena emphasized that the blockchain network will remain operational. As a decentralized proof-of-work protocol, it continues to run through independent miners and smart contract maintainers rather than direct company control. The firm stated it will soon release a new binary to ensure uninterrupted node activity and urged operators to upgrade promptly.

The KDA token will also persist independently. Kadena confirmed that mining rewards totaling more than 566 million KDA are still set for distribution through 2139, with an additional 83.7 million KDA scheduled to be released from lockup by November 2029. The team added that discussions with the community are underway to support a full transition to community-led governance and maintenance.

Kadena concluded its statement by expressing gratitude to team members, community participants, and partners for their support over the years, signaling the end of its corporate journey but leaving the future of its decentralized ecosystem in the hands of its users.

Earlier this year, Binance temporarily halted deposits and withdrawals on the Kadena (KDA) network to facilitate a scheduled network upgrade and hard fork. The maintenance has since been completed successfully, ensuring technical continuity and compatibility across exchanges and node operators.