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What is the Canton Network? What does CIP-0069 actually say? Why is this important?
Ledger, a hardware wallet maker with over 6 million devices sold worldwide, is currently a Super Validator on Canton Network. The move, announced on February 19, 2026, combines one of the most trusted companies in crypto hardware security with a blockchain built specifically for institutional finance, with a detailed roadmap tied to actual implementation milestones.
What is a canton network?
Canton is a privacy-enabled public blockchain launched in 2023 by a consortium including Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and Digital Assets. It acts as a “network of networks,” allowing independent permissioned ledgers to interoperate without exposing sensitive data. The technology runs on Daml, a smart contract language designed for real-time synchronization and atomic settlements across different asset classes.
The Canton Foundation manages the network and oversees the Global Synchronizer, a coordination layer secured by Super Validators. These validators do the heavy lifting: confirming transactions, keeping the ledger honest, and voting on governance decisions. In return, you earn rewards in Canton Coin (CC), the network’s native token.
What does CIP-0069 actually say?
Ledger’s validator status dates back to Canton Improvement Proposal 0069, titled “Add Ledger as an SV of Weight 5.” This proposal was authored by Eric W Saraniecki and approved as a governance measure in July 2025. It provides a structured, milestone-based path for Ledger to maximize its role, rather than handing it over up front.
Here’s how it works: Ledger starts as a Super Validator with a potential weight of 5, but rewards are initially placed in an escrow pool until a specific target is hit. The first two milestones require Ledger to integrate Canton Token Standard into both Ledger Live and Ledger Enterprise within 180 days of approval. Each milestone has a weight of 0.5.
Additionally, two bonus categories will be launched. Acceleration bonuses give up to two additional weights to drive early mainnet transactions through Ledger Live. Scales linearly based on Ledger serving speed. The adoption bonus adds an additional 2 weights at the rate of 0.5 for every $1.5 billion transferred based on the actual assets transferred to the canton.
The proposal also includes accountability measures. Ledger must first run an escrow validator at its own expense. Evidence that a milestone has been achieved istokenomics Working group for review. If the deadline is missed, the weight will be reduced and reallocated. If the Ledger weight is greater than 2.5, the Super Validator must be fully operational within 6 months. The entire setup falls under CIP-0045, which sets the operating standards for all super validators.
Why is this important?
Ledger brings serious scale to Canton. The company’s hardware wallets are used to self-custody an estimated $1 trillion in assets, Ledger Live has more than 5 million monthly active users, and Ledger Enterprise offers enterprise-grade storage. This will give Canton access to both retail self-customer users and institutional customers.
This integration also means that support for the Canton Token Standard will be available across Ledger’s product suite, making it easier for users to maintain and manage Canton-compliant assets through the hardware they already own.
In the case of Canton, there are currently over 750 validators with a wide variety of uses.stable coinasset tokenization, and more, Ledger strengthens its pitch to traditional finance. The move fits into a broader pattern of blockchain adoption by institutions, with companies like Taurus and Elliptic making similar moves into the space.
The milestone-based approach is noteworthy in itself. Rather than giving full weight to validators from day one, Canton ties rewards to measurable contributions such as actual integrations, actual transactions, and actual asset flows. This is a model designed to filter out validators that drive true network growth, not just name recognition.
source:
- Canton Foundation of X (@CantonFdn) — Initial announcement that Ledger will join as a Super Validator, February 19, 2026
- CIP-0069: Add ledger as SV with weight 5 — Full text of governance proposal outlining Ledger validator roles and milestone requirements
- canton network — Official website with network overview and announcements
- canton foundation — Current number of validators and network statistics
- canton network wikipedia — Background to the founding consortium and launch of the network
