The Cardano Foundation has confirmed a major interoperability milestone through an integration with LayerZero. This connection will bring Cardano into direct contact with more than 150 chains and over 400 tokens, giving the network access to stablecoins, Bitcoin-backed assets, and tokenized RWAs.
The integration is being delivered under the Cardano Critical Integrations program, with oversight from a Steering Committee that includes the Cardano Foundation, EMURGO, Input Output, Intersect, and the Midnight Foundation. According to the announcement, the development work is moving into the deployment phase, with timelines to be shared in the coming weeks.
Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, has called 2026 the most promising year in the network’s history. He said at the Midnight Japan Tour that Cardano will surpass previous milestones this year and expects this vision to be validated by 2036.
ADA Price Reacts as Traders Watch for More Announcements
Cardano’s native token ADA saw a 4% rally following the announcement. The token was last seen trading at $0.2653, a few points above key support. ADA has lost around 80% from its 2024 high, though recent momentum could shift if development milestones are met.
ADA also gained attention after its CME futures listing in the U.S., offering exposure to institutional investors. The price remains sensitive to ecosystem announcements, including the upcoming Midnight mainnet launch.
Market participants on X reacted positively to the integration. One user posted, “Cardano just leveled up with 150+ chains. This is huge.” Another said, “ADA is still sleeping, but the ecosystem is building.”
Midnight Launch and Broader Ecosystem Strategy for 2026
The Cardano ecosystem is also preparing for the launch of Midnight, its privacy-focused partner chain. Midnight’s mainnet is expected to go live by the end of March, and it will bring zero-knowledge-based selective disclosure to Cardano smart contracts.
The NIGHT token has already launched with a market cap above $800 million. Midnight has processed nearly 1 million transactions in testnet and secured major partnerships, including Telegram and Google. The Midnight City Simulation was also unveiled as an educational tool to show how privacy and compliance can be balanced.
Hoskinson described Midnight as a central part of Cardano’s 2026 growth plan and called the project critical to the network’s long-term success.
Stablecoin, Bitcoin Assets, and Future Development Plans
Cardano also aims to launch a Tier-1 stablecoin this year as part of its expanded DeFi offerings. The network’s developers are working to attract users from Bitcoin and XRP communities by building tools and liquidity pathways connected through the new LayerZero integration.
Projects like Hydra and Ouroboros Leios are also advancing, with Hydra recently crossing 1 million transactions in testing. These updates are expected to help Cardano scale and support higher network activity throughout 2026.
Meanwhile, the Pentad initiative, supported by the Cardano Foundation, IOHK, EMURGO, and the Midnight Foundation, continues to roll out new tools including oracles, analytics, and ecosystem integrations.
