Ledger Joins Canton Network as Super Validator

Ledger, the hardware wallet maker behind more than 6 million devices sold worldwide, is now a Super Validator on the Canton Network. The move, announced on February 19, 2026, pairs one of the most trusted names in crypto hardware security with a blockchain built specifically for institutional finance, and it comes with a detailed roadmap tied to real adoption milestones.

What Is the Canton Network?

Canton is a privacy-enabled public blockchain launched in 2023 by a consortium that includes Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and Digital Asset. It works as a "network of networks," letting independent, permissioned ledgers interoperate without exposing sensitive data. The tech runs on Daml, a smart contract language designed for real-time synchronization and atomic settlement across different asset classes.

The Canton Foundation governs the network and oversees its 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, they earn rewards in Canton Coin (CC), the network's native token.

What Does CIP-0069 Actually Say?

Ledger's validator status traces back to Canton Improvement Proposal 0069, titled "Add Ledger as an SV of Weight 5." The proposal was authored by Eric W Saraniecki and approved in July 2025 as a governance action. It lays out a structured, milestone-based path for Ledger to earn its full weight rather than handing it over upfront.

Here's how it works. Ledger starts as a Super Validator with a potential weight of 5, but rewards initially go into an escrow pool until specific targets are hit. The first two milestones require Ledger to integrate the Canton Token Standard into both Ledger Live and Ledger Enterprise within 180 days of approval. Each milestone carries a weight of 0.5.

Beyond that, two bonus categories kick in. An acceleration bonus awards up to 2 additional weight for driving early mainnet transactions through Ledger Live, scaled linearly based on how fast Ledger delivers. An adoption bonus adds up to 2 more weight based on actual assets transferred to Canton, at a rate of 0.5 per $1.5 billion moved.

The proposal also includes accountability measures. Ledger must run the escrow validator at its own expense initially. Proof of hitting milestones goes through theTokenomics Working Group for review. If deadlines are missed, weight gets reduced and reallocated. If Ledger's weight exceeds 2.5, it must fully operate its Super Validator within six months. The whole setup falls under CIP-0045, which sets operating standards for all Super Validators.

Why Does This Matter?

Ledger brings serious scale to Canton. Its hardware wallets are used to self-custody an estimated $1 trillion in assets, with more than 5 million monthly active users on Ledger Live and enterprise-grade custody available through Ledger Enterprise. That gives Canton access to both retail self-custody users and institutional clients.

The integration also means Canton Token Standard support will be available across Ledger's product suite, making it easier for users to hold and manage Canton-compliant assets through hardware they already own.

For Canton, which now counts over 750 validators and spans applications instablecoins, asset tokenization, and more, adding Ledger strengthens its pitch to traditional finance. The move fits a broader pattern of institutional blockchain adoption, with firms like Taurus and Elliptic making similar moves into the space.

The milestone-based approach is worth noting on its own. Rather than granting full validator weight on day one, Canton is tying rewards to measurable contributions: working integrations, real transactions, and actual asset flows. That's a model designed to filter for validators that bring genuine network growth rather than just name recognition.

Sources:

• Canton Foundation (@CantonFdn) on X — Original announcement of Ledger joining as Super Validator, February 19, 2026
• CIP-0069: Add Ledger as an SV of Weight 5 — Full text of the governance proposal outlining Ledger's validator role and milestone requirements
• Canton Network — Official website with network overview and announcements
• Canton Foundation — Current validator count and network statistics
• Canton Network Wikipedia — Background on the network's founding consortium and launch