Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson Believes Cardano Could Serve as the Backbone of a $30 Trillion Cryptocurrency Future

Delivering a keynote speech at the University of Wyoming on Monday, the pundit outlined his vision for Cardano, highlighting its ability to revolutionize industries

Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, envisions the cryptocurrency future could be as large as $30 trillion with Cardano serving as its backbone, according to a Monday report by Benzinga.

What Happened: During a keynote speech at the University of Wyoming, Hoskinson shared his vision for Cardano in revolutionizing industries and driving new levels of economic growth.

The crypto pundit highlighted the rapid growth of the industry since its early days.

“When I started, nobody cared,” said Hoskinson, adding that at the time the fifth prize in a Starcraft tournament was 25 Bitcoin (BTC), and nobody wanted to be fifth prize.”

However, by 2025, the crypto industry is poised for monumental expansion with the U.S. electing a president who is an "enthusiast" of cryptocurrencies like ADA, and Congress actively working on legislation to regulate the sector.

A key component of this growth is the tokenization of real-world assets, such as intellectual property, real estate, and securities, said Hoskinson. He stressed the need for universal standards for these tokenized assets, which could significantly accelerate the market's expansion.

Earlier this year, Cardano enabled Argentina’s first legally enforceable smart contract, marking a breakthrough in blockchain integration.

It was also announced that Cardano would be used to create the world’s first national digital currency for the island nation of Tonga in the South Pacific.

Highlighting projections from industry leaders like CitiGroup and Chase, Hoskinson noted that the crypto market, currently valued at around $2 trillion, is expected to reach between $10 trillion and $20 trillion in the next decade.

However, he believes it could soar as high as $30 trillion with the right infrastructure and standards, generating millions of jobs and transforming the global economy.

Cardano is also unlocking significant value in the crypto sphere, especially with Bitcoin. Recently, on the "Bankless" podcast, Hoskinson discussed how Bitcoin, despite its massive market capitalization, lacks substantial total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi).

He suggested that Cardano's unique infrastructure, including features like Babel fees, could enable Bitcoin holders to access DeFi opportunities without leaving the Bitcoin ecosystem.

This would create a "synergy" between the two cryptocurrencies, allowing for the seamless integration of Bitcoin's liquidity with Cardano's DeFi capabilities.

To showcase Cardano's real-world applications, Hoskinson performed a live demonstration of a programmable token on the Cardano mainnet during his speech. This token displayed "freeze and seize" capabilities, which Hoskinson highlighted as valuable for financial use cases like stablecoins and digital rental agreements.

In addition to financial innovation, Hoskinson touched upon how blockchain technology could be instrumental in addressing critical societal challenges, such as election security, supply chain transparency, and fiscal accountability.

He proposed placing the U.S. federal budget on a blockchain to maximize transparency and reduce administrative inefficiencies.

Furthermore, highlighting Wyoming’s role in fostering a favorable crypto ecosystem, Hoskinson noted the state's legislation of 40 blockchain-related laws.

This initiative has attracted major industry players like crypto exchange Kraken, which reported an annual revenue of $1.5 billion.

“That’s how you grow your way out of it. We need to innovate to become stronger economically and less reliant on the old systems.”