Cardano Foundation will participate in Paris Blockchain Week 2025, held in Paris. On April 10th, the CEO Frederik Gregaard will take the main stage to discuss “Decentralized intelligence: AI, blockchain & the new economy”.
Hoskinson noted that this fourth generation of blockchain should merge TradFi and DeFi into just Fi.
While delivering a keynote speech at the current Paris Blockchain Week, IOG’s founder, Charles Hoskinson, spoke about the evolution of the cryptocurrency industry, the hurdles faced and overcome, and what’s next.
He believes the recently restarted Trade War by US President Trump, which this time aims at essentially every other country, proves why the world needs blockchain and decentralization now more than ever.
After giving a brief history lesson on why too much centralization could harm the world, Hoskinson said the recent developments on a global scale initiated by Trump and intensified by China, the EU, and other countries prove that too much power concentrated in a few people usually leads to deterioration. And, it’s generally the regular Joe who suffers the most.
Consequently, he believes decentralization, which he termed as his life’s work, and blockchain are needed more than ever. However, he noted that the current state of the blockchain industry faces inherent dangers that would require a new approach to be solved.
The US, with its new, more crypto-friendly government, will likely pass a stablecoin bill in the next few months and a broader digital asset market legislation by the end of the year. This, according to Hoskinson, would mean that tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft will join the industry, trying to reshape it in their own image, such as their wallets, features, and products.
The problem, he continued, is that they are still very centralized entities with armies of engineers that would regain all the control, instead of the regular users and developers. Consequently, he noted that the decentralized side of the blockchain industry needs to stand together and collaborate to avoid getting sucked in.
After admitting that IOG made a few tiny errors with Cardano, from which they had learnt valuable lessons, Hoskinson outlined what he believes should be the new agenda of the industry. He said the fourth generation of blockchain should merge Traditional Finance (TradFi) and Decentralized Finance (DeFi) into just Finance (Fi).
He also hinted about working on a new project that will airdrop 37 million tokens to holders of BTC, ETH, ADA, and more, but more information of this would come in the following weeks.
At Paris Blockchain Week, Cardano creator Charles Hoskinson took the stage to lay out his vision for what he sees as the next major chapter in blockchain’s evolution.
Rather than championing one platform over another, Hoskinson emphasized the need for cooperation across ecosystems, warning that continued infighting will only hinder the progress of decentralized finance.
He revealed plans for a massive multi-chain token distribution, targeting users across eight different networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano itself. The initiative, involving 37 million participants, aims to bring users a taste of what’s to come in Cardano’s push toward greater interoperability.
Tracing blockchain’s roots back to early cryptographic developments and Bitcoin’s cypherpunk origins, Hoskinson argued that the industry still suffers from too much centralization and regulatory ambiguity. He believes the next phase must bridge traditional and decentralized finance by embedding privacy and compliance directly into blockchain protocols—rather than tacking them on through external services.
One of the biggest challenges, he explained, is achieving meaningful privacy without sacrificing identity—a delicate balance necessary for integrating real-world assets into blockchain infrastructure. “You want privacy, but the right people still need to see the data,” he said, highlighting use cases like taxation and payroll.
To support this shift, he introduced Midnight, a Cardano-linked protocol designed for secure, compliant interactions across multiple blockchains. Its engine, called Minotaur, is a novel consensus system that unites proof-of-work, proof-of-stake, and other mechanisms into a shared environment. This design allows validators from different chains to help secure the system without leaving their own networks.
Hoskinson insisted that the zero-sum mentality common in the crypto world is holding innovation back. Instead of fighting over users, he called for technology that works across platforms, so people don’t have to abandon what they already use.
He ended with a stark warning: as tech giants eye the space and prepare to integrate crypto features into their products, the decentralized world must build smarter, more open systems—ones that can scale to compete without giving up their core principles.
Do you know what staking is ? Staking on the blockchain refers to the process where participants lock up a certain amount of cryptocurrency to support the operations and security of a blockchain network. In return, they earn rewards, typically in the form of additional cryptocurrency. Staking is often associated with proof-of-stake (PoS) or similar consensus mechanisms used by many blockchains.
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