In a detailed video update on January 9, 2026, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson outlined an aggressive strategy for the year, positioning 2026 as a "defining year" for the blockchain. The core of the plan is to transform Cardano's DeFi stack into a cross-ecosystem product, with explicit targets of integrating Bitcoin and XRP into its decentralized finance ecosystem through the privacy-focused Midnight protocol.
Hoskinson framed the initiative, dubbed the "Pentad" integrations effort, as an on-ramp for liquidity, users, and "commercially critical" infrastructure. He acknowledged that contract signings slowed during the holidays but confirmed deals were progressing, leading to near-term announcements concerning new bridges, expanded oracle coverage, stablecoin development, analytics, and more exchange listings.
The founder argued that Cardano cannot win a marginal arms race against other smart contract platforms like Ethereum or Solana. Instead, its path to competitiveness lies in differentiated features and distribution through interoperability. "I'm going to propose that we take the top 15... top 20 dapps... on Cardano and get them upgraded to Bitcoin DeFi, XRP DeFi and Midnight," Hoskinson stated, adding the goal is to also secure them tier-one exchange listings and incubation to potentially 10x their total value locked (TVL), user base, and transaction volume.
Privacy is positioned as the cornerstone of this strategy. Hoskinson emphasized that Cardano DeFi will not compete by being slightly better or cheaper, but by offering unprecedented experiences. "And when you add privacy and get private stablecoins, that's going to be sexy. Show private prediction markets, private DEXes, you're bringing something new to the conversation," he said. The vision extends beyond Cardano, aiming for portability of these privacy capabilities across ecosystems including Solana, Ethereum, Bitcoin, XRP, BNB, and Avalanche once the necessary bridge and stablecoin infrastructure is established.
Hoskinson also expressed frustration with unmet policy promises in 2025, urging the industry to refocus on adoption and delivery. He announced a regimented output rhythm for 2026, promising a "bag of goodies" every two months, alongside public engagements like a Japan tour and Consensus Hong Kong, where "amazing announcements and special surprises" are expected. At the time of the announcement, ADA was trading at $0.3953.
