Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson announces at Paris Blockchain Week 2025 that the upcoming Midnight airdrop will target 37 million users across multiple blockchains, including XRP holders. He discussed blockchain evolution in generations, focusing on privacy in the latest phase. Midnight aims to enhance cross-chain interaction and is distributing NIGHT and DUST tokens, with upgrades to the testnet underway.
The founder of Cardano, Charles Hoskinson, recently announced during his keynote speech at Paris Blockchain Week 2025 that the upcoming Midnight airdrop aims to reach an astonishing 37 million individuals, notably including holders of XRP. This broad scope is poised to engage a diverse range of blockchain users, signalling a significant push for Cardano’s outreach among major cryptocurrency communities.
On the second day of the Paris event, Hoskinson also shared his insights into the evolution of the cryptocurrency landscape. He categorized its growth into four distinctive generations. The initial generation, he said, focused primarily on decentralization which gave rise to networks such as Bitcoin. The second generation, represented by Ethereum since 2015, marked the introduction of smart contracts and programmable blockchain systems.
Hoskinson articulated that the current phase, the third generation, concentrates on interoperability and scalability, addressing the crucial need for improved communication and efficiency between different blockchain networks. However, he argues that the sector is now stepping into a fourth generation that prioritises privacy, a shift he believes is vital for the ongoing maturation of decentralised technology.
Expanding on the Midnight airdrop, Hoskinson emphasised its relevance for various blockchain users, particularly targeting those holding assets across prominent networks. This includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, XRP, as well as others like Solana, Binance Smart Chain, Avalanche, and Polygon. The recent camaraderie between the Cardano and XRP communities appears to bolster this initiative, as seen in Ripple’s recent promotion featuring the Cardano logo, hinting at a cooperative relationship.
Furthermore, Hoskinson stated that Midnight is designed to offer a cross-chain experience. This means users do not have to trade their assets but can instead participate through their native tokens—be it ADA, ETH, BTC, or XRP. This is referred to as chain abstraction, a user-friendly feature for those engaging with the Midnight protocol.
Dubbed the Glacier Drop, the Midnight airdrop is indicative of Cardano’s strategy to enhance both cross-chain participation and widespread blockchain adoption. It will involve the distribution of two distinct tokens: NIGHT, serving as the governance token for the Midnight ecosystem, and DUST—a non-transferable token facilitating shielded transactions within the privacy framework.
According to the Midnight team, while NIGHT will have a fixed supply and play a crucial role in governance, DUST is set to empower private transactions while ensuring compliance. On another note, the Midnight project is accelerating its development, having recently rolled out a series of enhancements on its testnet to improve functionality. Just this week, the team has confirmed a pivotal upgrade is due.
Aside from optimisations like enhanced node efficiency and simplified setups, developers now have enhanced resources at their disposal, including a compatibility matrix and a release overview page to assist in building on the network. In a promising partnership, Cardano has collaborated with OpenZeppelin to craft a secure, privacy-oriented DeFi framework moving forward.
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