TLDR
- Cardano launched Midnight as a privacy-focused network designed to integrate with major blockchains, including XRP.
- Midnight allows developers to pay transaction fees using native chain tokens without asset migration.
- The network introduces a cooperative model to promote interoperability without enforcing ideological alignment.
- Midnight addresses privacy concerns by enabling selective disclosure of sensitive data on public blockchains.
- Cardano created Shielded and the Midnight Foundation to lead technical development and decentralized governance.
Cardano’s new privacy-focused protocol, Midnight, will cooperate with multiple blockchain ecosystems, including XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. Charles Hoskinson confirmed the platform’s cross-chain integration strategy at Consensus 2025 in Toronto. Midnight addresses privacy, interoperability, and governance through structural innovation rather than competition.
Cardano Midnight Connects Directly With XRP
Midnight will integrate directly with the XRP Ledger, allowing users to pay transaction fees using XRP and other native tokens. This approach removes the need to move assets between blockchains and avoids unnecessary migration or liquidity disruption. Therefore, Cardano’s strategy with Midnight supports a collaborative infrastructure instead of a competing ecosystem.
Additionally, the use of native tokens for fees strengthens interoperability between Cardano and XRP without enforcing any ideological requirements. Hoskinson emphasized that Midnight does not seek to dominate but to interlink chains with callable infrastructure. As a result, Cardano’s model introduces cross-platform utility while preserving chain sovereignty.
The platform promotes cooperation and functional utility between major chains like XRP and Cardano. Rather than replacing existing systems, it offers a protocol that supports privacy and integration. This structure, labeled “cooperative economics,” presents an alternative to the zero-sum behavior often seen in Web3 development.
Cardano Midnight Adds Privacy to Bitcoin
Midnight introduces a privacy layer that enables selective disclosure to protect financial and medical data across Bitcoin and Ethereum. Cardano’s team developed this feature to address rising concerns over financial surveillance in public blockchains. Transactions on stablecoins like USDC and USDT remain visible, exposing user identities.
Midnight allows users to decide what information to disclose to counteract this, improving confidentiality across public chains like Ethereum and Bitcoin. This selective privacy architecture reflects Cardano’s focus on balancing transparency with personal data protection. Shielded, an engineering arm, now leads the platform’s technical development.
Furthermore, the Midnight Foundation, headed by Fahmy Syed, governs the network’s structure and ensures open participation across all supported chains. The foundation focuses on inclusive governance, helping Cardano extend its principles to partner ecosystems. These coordinated entities aim to make privacy a default feature across networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Cardano Pushes New Token Distribution with the Glacier Drop
Cardano will avoid venture capital and token presales by distributing Midnight tokens to 37 million addresses through the Glacier Drop. The airdrop covers eight chains, including Cardano, XRP, Bitcoin, and Ethereum, ensuring wide distribution without capital concentration. Two tokens will be distributed, NIGHT for governance and DUST for transactions.
This approach eliminates early investor advantage and promotes equitable participation across all supported ecosystems. By doing so, Cardano distances itself from speculative models and focuses on sustainable infrastructure. The project funds itself without an initial coin offering or private fundraising round.
Cardano founder Hoskinson noted that on-chain governance ensures long-term adaptability and community control over network evolution. Midnight mirrors this approach with token-based voting and treasury control, reinforcing decentralized oversight. Cardano’s model aims to reshape blockchain governance through inclusive, fair, and transparent systems.
