Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says the network’s next growth phase depends on real DeFi usage rather than market hype. In a recent interview with Altcoin Daily, he said Cardano must post stronger on-chain numbers to compete with larger ecosystems. He pointed to user activity, capital flows, and stablecoin growth as the core signals that could define the network’s future direction.

Hoskinson said narrative cycles no longer provide enough momentum for Cardano. Instead, he said measurable DeFi performance must guide the ecosystem’s next stage. Those figures, he noted, should appear clearly on-chain.

He added that has reached its limits as a standalone layer-1 network. To move forward, he said the ecosystem must lean harder into decentralized finance activity. That shift, he argued, could reset growth expectations.