- Hoskinson believes 2026 will mark a return to Cardano’s strongest growth years
- Midnight’s upcoming launch is a major pillar of his optimism despite recent price corrections
- He argues long-term success depends more on fundamentals than short-term price action
Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, is entering 2026 with a noticeably more optimistic tone. In his “Happy New Year and Farewell” podcast released on January 1, Hoskinson said he believes this year could be a defining one for both Cardano and Midnight. After a difficult and often frustrating 2025, he expects the ecosystem, and the broader crypto industry, to move forward with more clarity and maturity.
According to Hoskinson, last year exposed a lot of structural weaknesses across crypto. But he also thinks those growing pains were necessary. In his view, 2026 is when the space starts fixing what went wrong, instead of repeating it.
2025 Was Rough, Even for Long-Term Believers
Hoskinson didn’t sugarcoat what 2025 looked like for Cardano holders. He described it as a rollercoaster year that started with optimism and ended in disappointment for many. ADA posted a correction of more than 60%, roughly in line with the broader market, despite reaching a yearly high of $1.16 early in January.
Beyond price, Hoskinson pointed to regulatory frustration as a major headwind. While the GENIUS Act brought long-awaited clarity to stablecoins, the failure of the CLARITY Act to pass left much of the crypto industry in limbo. That uncertainty, he argued, weighed heavily on innovation and sentiment throughout the year.
More broadly, Hoskinson suggested the industry drifted away from its original purpose. Crypto, he said, was built to reshape economic, political, and social systems, but somewhere along the way, that mission got diluted. Going back to first principles, in his words, isn’t optional anymore.
Why Hoskinson Thinks 2026 Will Look Different
Despite the setbacks, Hoskinson sounded confident about what lies ahead. He believes 2026 will resemble some of Cardano’s strongest years, driven by better infrastructure, more serious builders, and a market that’s slowly growing up. Innovation, rather than speculation, is expected to take center stage again.
A major part of that optimism comes from Midnight. The privacy-focused sidechain’s native token, NIGHT, launched with a market valuation above $1 billion, a strong debut by any standard. While the token has since pulled back sharply from its late-December highs, Hoskinson sees that correction as temporary, especially with the Midnight sidechain scheduled to go live soon.
Cardano’s Roadmap Is Finally Coming Together
For Cardano itself, 2026 could be packed with catalysts. Analysts are watching developments like Bitcoin DeFi integrations, the Midnight launch, the Ouroboros Leios upgrade, and several other technical rollouts that could push the network forward. These upgrades, taken together, are meant to address scalability, efficiency, and real-world use cases.
Hoskinson also made it clear that obsessing over ADA’s price misses the bigger picture. He argued that anyone focused solely on where Cardano trades in 2026 has already misunderstood the point. While he expects price appreciation, he believes market value still fails to capture the actual progress happening across the ecosystem.
