Kora Labs: ADA Handle Decentralised Minting

Part 2 of the Catalyst On-Chain Impact Series

When Cardano sought to simplify user interaction and identity, ADA Handle emerged as a breakthrough — turning complex wallet addresses into simple, human-readable names. Today, it stands as a core layer of Cardano’s identity infrastructure, integrated across leading wallets, dApps, and explorers.

This case study examines Kora Labs: ADA Handle Decentralized Minting, a Catalyst Fund 10 initiative that transformed ADA Handle from a centrally managed service into a fully decentralized protocol. Through a Merkle tree–based smart contract system, handle creation became permissionless, enabling any user to mint directly on-chain.

The project delivered measurable outcomes: new minting contracts increased transaction activity, more than 200,000 handles were migrated, and community-led minting expanded network participation. Completed within its 655,000 ADA budget, it strengthened both the integrity and scalability of Cardano’s naming standard.

As part 2 of a 12-part series funded under Project Catalyst grant #1300150, this publication reveals how decentralization of core infrastructure drives on-chain activity, enhances trust, and demonstrates the lasting impact of Catalyst-funded innovation.