 
 
Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson has outlined a new growth path for the blockchain, highlighting three key areas where the project must scale to meet its full potential: branding and marketing, partnerships and integrations, and developer growth through DeFi expansion.
Speaking during a live AMA, Hoskinson emphasized that while Cardano’s technology is advancing rapidly, other aspects of the ecosystem have been lagging behind.
“There are certain things we’re doing really well,” he said. “The technology is moving in a great direction. The bets we’ve made, they’re going to pay big dividends.”
Yet, he admitted that Cardano’s image has suffered due to weak marketing. “Other ecosystems, a lot of people in those ecosystems, they view Cardano as a ghost chain or a joke, and they actively criticize us…So, that’s a core systemic weakness,” he said.
Hoskinson believes that building visibility through consistent branding and major events will be a focus point in 2026, with at least four flagship gatherings annually to showcase Cardano’s top projects.
 
He also addressed the need for stronger partnerships and integrations, citing Midnight, Cardano’s upcoming privacy-focused partner chain, as a critical turning point. “Midnight is massively fixing this problem,” he said.
The chain, designed to bridge multiple ecosystems, will connect Cardano to seven major blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Binance Smart Chain. Hoskinson says it will be the largest drop in the industry’s history, with over a million users expected to participate, adding that it will unlock new interoperability and liquidity opportunities for ADA and native tokens.
Hoskinson further tackled claims that Cardano is facing slow adoption and poor liquidity, rejecting what he described as “unfair” criticism. He explained that while the network’s TVL currently stands at $680 million, over 1.3 million people are active in staking and governance, representing more than 15 billion ADA.
At the time of writing, ADA traded at $0.4785.
