Charles Hoskinson Responds to Criticism of Cardano DeFi and ADA Holders

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson acknowledged the network's lower Total Value Locked (TVL) compared to rivals like Ethereum but argued that metrics miss broader participation and governance strength. He dismissed the idea that simply introducing major stablecoins like USDC or USDT would fix Cardano's DeFi issues, noting the network already has native, stable assets. Hoskinson contended that the primary issue is user behavior: while Cardano has over 1.3 million staking/governance participants, most ADA holders remain passive and have not engaged with DeFi.

To drive growth, Hoskinson detailed a multi-year roadmap centered on real-world finance integration and Bitcoin interoperability, highlighting initiatives like the privacy-focused Midnight network and the RealFi microfinance platform. These are designed to unlock billions in liquidity by allowing ADA and BTC to interact in lending products. Hoskinson concluded that the challenge is not technological but one of governance, coordination, and accountability, stating the next major focus for 2026 will be delegating clear responsibility for ecosystem expansion and mobilizing ADA holders toward active DeFi use.

(Source：BeInCrypto)