Cardano News Today: Cardano's Ambitious $1 Trillion Move: Tackling DeFi Delays Using AI and Bitcoin
Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, has announced a new direction to counter ongoing criticism regarding the blockchain’s lackluster DeFi performance and inactive
A key element of this new approach is the adoption of x402, an open payment protocol created by
Even with these developments, Cardano’s DeFi sector is still lagging, with a total value locked (TVL) of $2.9 billion—significantly less than Ethereum and Solana—and a stablecoin market cap of only $36 million, compared to Ethereum’s $164 billion, as reported by Bitcoin Sistemi. Hoskinson attributed these shortcomings to issues with governance and coordination rather than technical barriers, stating, “This isn’t a technology issue. The real challenge is governance, coordination, and ultimately, accountability and responsibility,” in
To address these gaps, Hoskinson suggested merging Bitcoin DeFi with Cardano’s Midnight privacy sidechain and RealFi microfinance platform, with the goal of unlocking billions in liquidity by enabling ADA and BTC to be lent, converted into stablecoins, and used in real-world lending products, according to
Recent network upgrades, such as the Chang hard fork, have boosted transaction capacity to 1,000 per second, paving the way for large-scale payment solutions, the Blockchain Magazine report mentioned. However, the network’s future success depends on regulatory certainty, consistent execution, and competition from other high-speed blockchains, the report added. Hoskinson acknowledged the “chicken-and-egg” challenge: low activity discourages partnerships, while limited integrations further slow adoption, as noted by the Yahoo Finance report.
With pilot projects scheduled for early 2026, Cardano’s ability to realize its AI and Bitcoin integration ambitions will be crucial in determining whether it can achieve its bold $1 trillion target, according to the Blockchain Magazine report.
