Hoskinson pushes for Chainlink, Aave and USD1 to rescue Cardano’s weak DeFi scene

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has outlined plans to pursue partnerships with major protocols, including Aave, Chainlink, and World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin.

In an Aug. 31 Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, Hoskinson argued that such integrations are crucial for strengthening Cardano’s ecosystem and ensuring the blockchain remains competitive in the industry.

He said:

“I’d like USD-1, I’d like Aave, I’d like Chainlink. There’s a bundle there, and we’re working our way through what that means and how to do it.”

Why these partnerships matter for Cardano

USD1 is the stablecoin project developed under World Liberty Financial, a DeFi initiative backed by US President Donald Trump.

Despite launching recently, the asset has risen to become the sixth-largest stablecoin by market capitalization and has already seen significant institutional adoption through deals involving Binance and Bullish exchange.

Considering this, such an integration would bring liquidity and credibility to Cardano’s stablecoin and DeFi markets, which have struggled significantly over the years.

Meanwhile, Aave is the largest decentralized lending protocol with nearly $40 billion in total value locked. Its inclusion could transform Cardano’s relatively underdeveloped lending sector, offering new opportunities for users and developers.

Chainlink provides another critical component. The oracle network connects blockchains to real-world data, ensuring smart contracts execute securely and accurately.

Hoskinson stressed that the absence of Chainlink support has already hurt Cardano’s visibility. He pointed to the US Department of Commerce, which bypassed Cardano when distributing economic data feeds because the blockchain lacked integration with Chainlink and Pyth.

Considering this, he said:

“It’s getting harder because the competition is getting harder, and it’s frustrating to me because obvious things to do—like integrations with other ecosystems—the absence of those integrations means we get left behind.”

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