Cardano Hard Fork Set for Next Month, Midnight Network Launch Imminent
Cardano's long-awaited hard fork is scheduled to take place next month, according to founder Charles Hoskinson. During a February 19 livestream, he confirmed that the network is on track for the upgrade and outlined the upcoming Leios scalability upgrade, which remains set for delivery this year.
Hoskinson framed the coming weeks as a convergence of two parallel tracks: protocol and developer-stack upgrades on one side, and the Midnight network launch on the other. He described Midnight as 'unusually difficult to ship even for teams with experience launching major chains.'
The Cardano founder also highlighted several ecosystem developments, including a newly announced LayerZero integration that connects the network to more than 80 blockchains, as well as the stablecoin-like asset USDCx designed for non-EVM systems. He emphasized that USDCx preserves 'privacy' and 'can't be frozen,' calling it 'the best compromise' for a tier-one stablecoin in the ecosystem.
Hoskinson also discussed Leios, stating that discussions with product manager Michael Smolenski left him satisfied with the pace of progress. He flagged additional near-term milestones, including a new Plutus version, continued Aiken development, node diversity, and the integration of Pyth as a 'tier one Oracle' for Cardano.