Cardano Founder Teases “Fun” 2026 Plan for XRP, Calls XRP Holders Friendly

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has highlighted his positive relationship with the XRP community and revealed what he plans to deliver for its members next year

For context, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) was one of the eight supported blockchains selected for the Midnight airdrop. Out of the 24 billion NIGHT token supply, the team allocated 1.2 billion NIGHT to users who held at least $100 worth of XRP during the snapshot on June 11, 2025.

While some users have already claimed their NIGHT allocations, full distribution and trading will begin on December 8.

Cardano Founder’s Evolved Relationship with the XRP Army

Notably, including XRP in the Midnight airdrop would have seemed unlikely a few years ago, given the previously tense relationship between Hoskinson and parts of the XRP community.

Their clash stemmed from the long-running “ETHGate” controversy, which alleged that the Ethereum team influenced the SEC to target Ripple and XRP. Hoskinson consistently rejected these claims, calling them conspiracy theories. His stance triggered a heated back-and-forth.

However, the feud ended in November 2024 when the Cardano founder apologized to the XRP community. Hoskinson’s relationship with the XRP Army has improved since then. Now he openly describes the XRP community as “quite friendly.”

Beyond his words, he has backed this shift with action—meeting with Ripple executives and including XRP holders in the Midnight airdrop—demonstrating efforts to reconcile with the community.

Hoskinson Shares Fun 2026 Plan for XRP

Hoskinson also reaffirmed Cardano’s plan to build a decentralized finance (DeFi) layer for XRP, allowing holders to earn yield Notably, platforms like Flare Network already offer yield-bearing opportunities for XRP. Hoskinson’s initiative seeks to expand DeFi opportunities for XRP holders. While he avoided sharing technical details, he stressed that the project will be “a lot of fun.”

Notably, Hoskinson revealed that the discussion will progress further in 2026, hinting at a tentative timeline for when the integration or related announcements could emerge.