Hoskinson says Cardano’s technical gains failed to lift market performance

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said the project’s technical achievements have not translated into market performance or a stronger brand position. Hoskinson said Cardano has become stronger on the engineering side than it was in 2024 through continued technical innovation. He highlighted the Ouroboros Leios upgrade, now in testing, and said its completion would significantly improve transaction throughput and scalability. At the same time, Hoskinson acknowledged the project’s technical progress has not led to stronger market results or brand standing, and said strategic decisions are needed for Cardano to regain competitiveness. Cardano rose to as high as $1.31 after the 2024 U.S. presidential election and remained among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, but it has since extended its decline and is trading around $0.17, down about 87% from its December 2024 peak. Its market-cap ranking has also slipped to 14th. Community sentiment has also weakened amid project cancellations, EMURGO’s withdrawal from Pentad, and governance-related controversy.