Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has urged the ADA community to unite behind efforts to restore the network’s competitive position, saying Cardano is technologically stronger today than it was in 2024 despite losing ground in the broader crypto market.
He began his discussion on Blockfrost before shifting to the wider ecosystem, Hoskinson said Cardano has made notable technical progress over the past two years. However, he admitted that its market position, brand strength, and reputation within the crypto industry have weakened over the same period.
“Back to Winning Again”
Hoskinson said he remains committed to Cardano’s long-term roadmap regardless of whether he receives unanimous support from the community. He added that he knows where he wants to take the ecosystem and invited ADA holders to join him in rebuilding its faith in the ecosystem.
According to Hoskinson, the goal is to get Cardano “back to winning again,” stressing that a stronger ADA benefits developers, investors, and the entire ecosystem.
ADA Faces a Difficult Year
His comments come as ADA continues to struggle in 2026. The cryptocurrency has fallen 49.21% since the beginning of the year, slipping to 14th place in the global cryptocurrency rankings by market capitalization.
The prolonged downturn has fueled governance disagreements within the community and prompted several projects to leave the ecosystem. Despite the challenges, Hoskinson has previously said he expects Cardano to return to the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap before the end of the year.
Development Continues Despite Criticism
Hoskinson also rejected claims that Cardano has become a failed experiment, arguing that critics often focus on price performance while overlooking the network’s consistent technical progress.
Cardano recently activated the van Rossem hard fork, upgrading the blockchain to Protocol Version 11 and laying the foundation for Ouroboros Leios, its next major scalability upgrade expected later this year.
The ecosystem has also launched the first phase of the RealFi testnet, an initiative designed to connect blockchain liquidity with real-world lending, microfinance, and credit markets, particularly in developing economies. Hoskinson believes these developments reinforce Cardano’s long-term vision, even as the project works to regain its market momentum.