Hoskinson Reignites XRP Value Debate as Integration into Cardano DeFi Moves Forward

Gate News message, April 19 — Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has revived debate over XRP’s value model as efforts to integrate the token into Cardano’s decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem continue. On “The O Show,” Hoskinson examined how Midnight (NIGHT) differs from XRP in tokenomics and value creation, noting a disparity between XRP ownership and Ripple’s financial health, with token holders not directly exposed to the company’s profitability.

Hoskinson highlighted that Ripple controls XRP’s token supply to finance independent business lines while keeping profits segregated from XRP investors, contrasting this with Midnight’s community-first distribution model. He noted XRP’s concentration, with approximately 80% of the 100 billion supply held by Ripple at launch, versus Midnight’s broader eight-ecosystem distribution. The remarks sparked criticism from XRP supporters, who pointed to Hoskinson’s past tensions with Ripple as evidence of ongoing preoccupation.

Despite the renewed friction, Hoskinson reaffirmed that XRP integration into Cardano DeFi remains on track. He argued that a truly decentralized network should withstand criticism of individual leaders without existential threat. Meanwhile, a major blockchain network has already accelerated XRP integration through wrapped XRP (wXRP), intensifying competitive pressure on Cardano to deliver on its cross-chain ambitions.