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Charles Hoskinson says a Circle-issued stablecoin product is headed to Cardano after what he described as “deep negotiations” between Circle and a Cardano-aligned negotiating group known as the Pentad (Input Output (IOHK), EMURGO, Cardano Foundation, Midnight Foundation, and Intersect). Speaking from Fukuoka on his Japan tour livestream titled “Circle and Pentad,” Hoskinson framed the deal as a long-awaited step toward bringing “tier one” stablecoin liquidity into Cardano’s DeFi stack.

USDCX To Launch On Cardano After Deal Signed

Hoskinson said the agreement is signed and positioned the integration as near-term rather than aspirational. “This is not something that’s six months out, ink is on paper, deal is signed,” he said, adding that integration work should happen “in short order.” The pitch is that Cardano gains access to Circle’s distribution rails and liquidity network, while developers can build around a familiar dollar asset without needing bespoke plumbing for every application.

What’s coming, per Hoskinson, is “USDCX,” which he described as effectively the same asset as USDC but deployed through a model Circle uses for non-EVM chains. “USDCX is basically same asset and how it works is there’s a one-to-one reserve,” he said. “So for the non-EV chains like Stacks and others there’s a mirroring effect that occurs […] and then it’s easy through their network to access the same liquidity as USDC. So effectively it’s what we need.”

In Hoskinson’s telling, the practical implication is straightforward: Cardano users and applications get stablecoin functionality tied into Circle’s broader liquidity environment, without waiting for a native issuance path that has been a recurring community demand. “People were asking for a long, long time to get a tier one stable coin to Cardano,” he said. “This is how you do it and now we’re here. So we have access to Circle’s network, Circle’s protocol, Circle’s technology and the great liquidity of the Circle network as a whole.”

Hoskinson also emphasized what he called privacy benefits in the “USDCX” design, though he did not specify implementation details on the stream beyond noting “the added privacy benefits of USDCX and all the technologies therein.” He praised Circle as a counterparty, calling them “consummate professionals” and “tough negotiator[s],” and credited the Pentad for representing Cardano’s interests across the talks.

A key operational question for Cardano’s DeFi market is how quickly the asset becomes usable across the app layer and centralized exchange rails. Hoskinson acknowledged that distribution is not automatic just because a deal is signed.

“We have to make sure that we get USDCX integrated into all of the Cardano applications and so there’s a seamless user experience and a seamless user experience with exchanges so you can go from USDC and back without any additional steps or work,” he said, characterizing the remaining work as “a little bit more integration on our side,” but “not too much.”

He argued that Circle’s prior work on other non-EVM deployments should compress timelines. “That’s one of the advantages of this new USDCX is fast integration time,” Hoskinson said. “It doesn’t require a ton of custom work to get working with Cardano because they’ve already done these types of things with Stacks.”

The announcement lands against a backdrop Hoskinson described as poor market conditions and sour sentiment, which he suggested has fueled skepticism around Cardano partnerships more broadly. In a longer aside, he pushed back on the idea that integrations like these are perpetually “maybe” milestones.

“I do know that there are certain people that are skeptical […] ‘Well, maybe [it] will come, maybe not. Who knows? We’ll wait and see,’” Hoskinson said. “I don’t know how else to convey than signing the deal, doing the integration work […] but I understand that the skepticism comes from the market sentiment at the end of the day.”

Circle and Pentad https://t.co/qSfF1D7bcM

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) January 30, 2026

Hoskinson used the same segment to reiterate that Cardano’s roadmap and partner strategy remains the controllable variable, even if macro headlines and political noise aren’t. “All we have agency over is what we build, who we partner with, and our strategy as a whole,” he said, before citing ongoing efforts including Leios, Hydra, Pentad’s integration push, and Midnight.

At press time, ADA traded at $0.3258.

Even years after its inception, the XRP Ledger, one of the leading networks in the crypto space, continues to attract robust adoption and real-world usage. With thousands of transactions being conducted on the leading network’s DEX on a daily basis, it has now reached a historical level that marks its growing role in decentralized trading.

Decentralized Trading On XRP Ledger Accelerates

XRP is experiencing heightened interest not just in buying activity from traders; the XRP Ledger has been seeing significant usage over the past few weeks. While adoption has increased toward the network, the Ledger’s Decentralized Exchange (DEX) activity is breaking past prior highs.

Xaif Crypto, a market expert and investor on the X platform, reported that the Ledger DEX activity has surged to new levels. Specifically, data shows that the activity recently reached a 13-month high, signaling a sharp uptick in on-chain trading across the network.

As more liquidity and transactions move over XRPL’s native DEX infrastructure, the increase is indicative of increasing user involvement. Sustained growth in DEX activity frequently indicates deeper adoption and expanding use cases, in contrast to brief spikes caused solely by speculation.

According to the chart shared by the expert, the number of transactions on the 14-day MA rose to approximately 1.014 million, breaking the ceiling that held throughout all of 2025. With this level of DEX transactions, the XRP Ledger is becoming a more active center for decentralized trade within the larger cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Xaif Crypto stated that this massive transaction count is not just a mere spike; it signals sustained momentum for the Ledger. Currently, the network is witnessing a fresh wave of liquidity and real user engagement. As a result, the expert declares that the Ledger is heating up in 2026.

This milestone comes as the XRP Ledger rolls out a new Lending Protocol (XLS-66), which is attracting institutional-grade credit to the network. With the new Lending Protocol, the Ledger is now evolving into a full financial layer with Rippled 3.1.0.

The protocol includes the ability to create loans on the Ledger, with loan brokers being able to generate fixed-term and fixed-rate, uncollateralized loans. These loans are predictable for professional use.

In addition, these loans are held in a Single Asset Vault, allowing risk-isolated liquidity. Another feature is the off-chain underwriting for uncollateralized options. It boasts native efficiency, which offers low-cost lending without a middleman or intermediaries. In the meantime, Decentralized Finance (DeFi) on the Ledger has just undergone a boost.

The Lending Protocol Gains Institutional Support

Following its historical launch a few days ago, the new XRP Lending Protocol is now experiencing significant support from institutional-level investors. One of the earliest companies to interact with the new protocol is Evernorth, a leading public treasury company.

According to BankXRP, the company is backing the native lending protocol to help transition a $100 billion market cap into a productive, yield-bearing ecosystem. These kinds of moves are an indication that the future of institutional DeFi is becoming native-driven.

The Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and XRP prices have crashed this week, recording massive declines, led by BTC, which dropped to new 2026 lows. This decline has been mainly due to macro fundamentals, including the Trump tariffs, which are causing market uncertainty. 

Why The Bitcoin, Dogecoin, And XRP Prices Are Crashing

The Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and XRP prices are down this week and are now suffering year-to-date (YTD) losses, according to CoinMarketCap. BTC dropped below $82,000 yesterday, marking a new yearly low for the leading crypto. One reason for this decline remains the Trump tariffs, which have heightened market uncertainty. 

Earlier this week, the U.S. president announced in a Truth Social post that he was increasing tariffs on South Korea from 15% to 25%. This came just days after he threatened to increase tariffs on Canada to 100% if they made a trade deal with China. It is worth noting that JPMorgan analysts, in a recent note, explained that the Trump tariffs, especially on China, are affecting dollar liquidity, which they indicated is already contributing to the decline in the prices of Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and XRP. 

These analysts explained that China has had to adapt to the Trump tariff pressure and, in doing so, is adversely affecting the dollar liquidity cycle. Notably, China has been selling off U.S. treasuries and buying more gold. Amid this development, the U.S. dollar has weakened, which will typically be bullish for BTC. 

However, these analysts stated that investors currently treat Bitcoin as a liquidity-sensitive risk asset rather than as a hedge against the USD weakness. Gold has instead taken the spotlight in this regard, reaching new highs as investors move to it as a safe haven. Notably, the Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and XRP prices also dropped yesterday as gold crashed over 6% amid a sudden sell-off. 

Meanwhile, rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran are also contributing to the decline in the Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and XRP prices. Earlier this week, Trump threatened strikes on Iran that would be far worse than the strikes last year. According to a Reuters report, the U.S. president is already weighing options against Iran, which could include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders. Iran has also vowed to respond like never before if pushed by the U.S.

A Hawkish Fed Is Also Sparking Bearish Sentiment 

The Fed also appears to be hawkish at the moment, which has sparked a bearish sentiment and contributed to the decline in Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and XRP prices. The Fed held interest rates at the FOMC meeting earlier this week, while signaling that they are in no hurry to make more rate cuts. This could mark the beginning of a rate-pause cycle, which could further constrain liquidity. 

Concerns about the Fed’s hawkish pivot have also worsened following reports that former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh is likely to become the next Fed Chair. Warsh is regarded as one of the more hawkish candidates for Fed chair, as he has advocated for a smaller Federal Reserve balance sheet. It also remains unclear where he stands on rate cuts, unlike the other candidates, who have declared support for lower interest rates.

Metaplanet, the Tokyo-listed firm that has been shifting into a Bitcoin treasury role, moved this week to shore up its balance sheet and add more BTC to its vault.

The company cleared a plan to raise up to about $137 million through a mix of new shares and stock acquisition rights aimed at buying Bitcoin, supporting its income business tied to BTC, and cutting some debt.

Reports say the fundraising will be done mainly with select overseas investors rather than a public share sale.

Metaplanet’s Capital Mix

According to filings, Metaplanet plans to issue 24.53 million new common shares at 499 yen apiece, which would bring in roughly 12.24 billion yen immediately.

In addition, the company will grant stock acquisition rights that could raise more money if exercised, taking the total potential haul to about 21 billion yen (roughly $137 million).

Reports note the share price for the offering sits a little above recent trading levels, but investors still reacted nervously.

A Push To Buy More Bitcoin

Metaplanet has been piling up BTC for a while. As of late December 2025, the company held about 35,102 Bitcoin, based on public updates.

The new funds are meant to let it keep buying while also giving breathing room for its Bitcoin income operations — those are businesses that try to earn fees or returns from BTC activity rather than from hotels or other old lines of business. Some of the cash will also go toward paying down borrowings tied to its recent credit facility.

Market Response And Risks

Stock traders pushed Metaplanet shares lower after the news, with the price slipping several percent during the session on concerns over dilution and the short-term impact of the issuance.

The company has faced sharp swings before: it booked a large non-cash impairment late in 2025 after Bitcoin’s fall, a hit that trimmed reported equity by a big sum and highlighted how tied the firm is to BTC prices. That accounting loss does not mean the coins were sold, but it did spook some investors.

Why This Matters

Reports say Metaplanet is trying to balance growth of its Bitcoin stash with steps to make its finances less fragile. The move shows a bet that holding more BTC and building services around it can pay off, but the plan also exposes shareholders to more swings in crypto markets.

For some investors, the chance to back a focused Bitcoin treasury is attractive. For others, the same bet looks risky, especially when big paper losses can show up on financial statements even while the firm holds the same coins.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView