Charles Hoskinson, founder and CEO of Input Output Global (IOG), confirmed during his keynote at Consensus Hong Kong 2026 that the omnichain messaging protocol LayerZero will integrate with the Cardano blockchain. This integration, executed under Cardano's Critical Integrations framework, will connect Cardano to over 160 blockchains and unlock access to more than $80 billion in omnichain assets.
A core component of this development is the planned launch of USDCx on Cardano, a cross-chain stablecoin implementation that will expand stablecoin and cross-chain liquidity access. The integration leverages LayerZero's OFT (Omnichain Fungible Token) standard and will begin with the rollout of Endpoint contracts.
Hoskinson also announced that Cardano's privacy-focused partner chain, Midnight (NIGHT), is scheduled to launch its mainnet in the final week of March. Midnight introduces "rational privacy," where transactions are private by default but users can selectively disclose information to approved parties. To demonstrate this, Hoskinson introduced the Midnight City Simulation, an interactive demo showcasing scalable privacy and selective disclosure.
Hoskinson revealed that major companies, including Google and Telegram, are already involved in the broader Midnight initiative. The LayerZero integration, which recently gained backing from Citadel Securities, is expected to significantly enhance Cardano's interoperability and support more high-performance financial applications, thereby attracting larger pools of capital.
The market reacted positively to the announcements. ADA climbed roughly 4-5% in the 24 hours following the news, moving from near $0.252 to above $0.265. Meanwhile, NIGHT posted an even stronger intraday gain of around 6-7%, rallying from the $0.048 area to above $0.051.
