#Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson argued that the cryptocurrency industry’s ultimate mission is to transform society rather than enrich powerful financial institutions.
Hoskinson shared this perspective during a keynote speech at Consensus 2026, where he emphasized self-sovereignty, decentralization, and the need for blockchain technology to empower individuals rather than strengthen traditional financial systems.
During his speech, Hoskinson presented a vision for the future of the cryptocurrency industry. He stressed that the sector should not focus on making large financial institutions wealthier, particularly those he believes contributed to the 2008 global financial crisis.
Instead, he argued that the industry should prioritize empowering individuals through financial sovereignty, digital identity ownership, and decentralized infrastructure.
According to Hoskinson, crypto exists to change the world by enabling people to become their own bank, control their own wallets, and manage their own identities.
Despite leading the Cardano ecosystem, he rejected blockchain maximalism. He emphasized that it does not matter whether this transformation comes through the XRP Ledger (XRPL), Solana, or the Bitcoin network. Furthermore, Hoskinson urged the industry to focus on the “connecting tissue” between blockchain ecosystems rather than fueling rivalries between networks.
Notably, Hoskinson has consistently advocated for interoperability across the crypto sector. In late 2024, he attempted to build alliances with Ripple and Stellar. Additionally, Cardano’s partner chain, Midnight, distributed some of its tokens to users across seven different blockchains, including Bitcoin and XRP.
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