Empowering Exchange Operations: The Role of the Core Integration Team

The team provides proactive, comprehensive support and guidance to help maintain uninterrupted operations

As part of the Cardano Foundation’s commitment to fostering network resilience and adoption, the Core Integrations Team (CIT) plays a pivotal role in providing exchanges with the technical support needed to maintain uninterrupted operations. Through technical guidance and proactive support, the CIT ensures the reliability of ada transactions, including deposit and withdrawal operations, while assisting stake pool operators (SPOs) with operational needs and encouraging their participation in governance when required. These efforts contribute to Cardano’s longevity and drive ecosystem engagement.

Comprehensive technical support for exchange operations

The CIT is dedicated to delivering tailored technical assistance to centralized exchanges, which includes the following key responsibilities:

• •Real-time Monitoring and Exchange Support: The CIT has developed an in-house platform to continuously track deposit and withdrawal operations. This proactive monitoring allows for timely intervention and engagement with affected exchanges, providing them with technical assistance to minimize downtime and ensure uninterrupted service.
• •Components Reporting: By keeping a detailed record of the various components in use, the team provides exchanges with insights on performance and potential impact areas. This facilitates informed planning and targeted communication regarding emerging challenges.
• •Timely Communication: The CIT provides timely updates on upcoming upgrades, helping exchanges plan maintenance windows accordingly to reduce operational risks.
• •Minimizing Downtime with Proactive Testing: Before network upgrades, the CIT thoroughly tests and validates components. This process minimizes disruptions during the transition and reinforces the stability of the exchange infrastructure.
• •Tracking Hard Fork Readiness: The in-house platform plays a critical role in monitoring exchange readiness for hard fork preparations. The team tracks and reports hard fork readiness, relaying progress to the hard fork working group and providing data-driven insights to support informed decision-making by the constitutional committee (CC). Additionally, the platform offers downstream APIs, which community explorers use to display exchange readiness status during the hard fork process.
• •Knowledge Sharing and Protocol Understanding: The CIT actively supports exchanges to deepen their understanding of the Cardano protocol by providing expert knowledge. This ensures that exchanges comprehend the intricacies of protocol changes, particularly in areas such as governance, enabling them to assess the impact of upcoming developments and align their operations accordingly.
• •Governance Support and Engagement: The CIT played a pivotal role in guiding exchange pool operators through the hard fork governance proposal, encouraging their participation in the process. Looking ahead, the team continues to assist exchanges in understanding their role in DRep delegation for future governance, fostering broader engagement and alignment with Cardano’s evolving governance framework.
• •Troubleshooting and Day-to-Day Support: Beyond scheduled upgrades, the CIT can assist with day-to-day troubleshooting. This comprehensive support addresses both immediate technical issues and longer-term operational challenges.

Distributed across various time zones, the CIT remains well-positioned to provide consistent, high-quality support to exchanges worldwide. Their ongoing commitment to excellence reinforces the integrity and reliability of Cardano’s infrastructure.

Survey insights: measuring our impact

To further refine its support services, the CIT recently conducted a detailed feedback survey among exchanges. The survey was designed to clearly present feedback metrics and actionable insights. At the time of writing, 11 exchanges have participated in the survey, with cumulative responses reflected in the following charts (score out of 5):

Key improvement feedback

In addition to the specific survey questions, aggregated exchange feedback identified key improvement requests:

• •Enhance Documentation for Libraries: Improved documentation, featuring additional sample code and clearer explanations, will further simplify the technical onboarding process for exchange teams.
• •Incorporate Governance Operations into Rosetta: An integration that could enhance governance-related functionalities.

The CIT is actively considering these suggestions, aiming to further elevate support quality and ensure smoother operations for all exchanges.

Stay ahead of key changes and ensure seamless operations. For tailored support and real-time updates, connect with the CIT team at integrations@cardanofoundation.org.