Cardano founder turns to XRP community with surprising DeFi move

Charles Hoskinson, the man behind Cardano, has taken an unexpected turn and publicly questioned the XRP community about which projects should be invited if an XRP-focused DeFi summit is held at the University of Edinburgh.

This post appeared out of the blue and was a huge shock to the timeline, as relations between Hoskinson and XRP holders have been publicly strained. This time last year, the Cardano founder accused some in the XRP community of distorting his words and harassing him, but he firmly rejected claims that Ethereum officials had bribed the SEC to target Ripple.

These controversies hardened opinions on both sides, and even though the ax was buried at the time, it felt like this outreach was intentional rather than casual.

The tone has changed in the new post. Instead of rebuttals or clarifications, Hoskinson appealed directly to the builders, and his responses were certainly quickly filled with names related to XRPL infrastructure, DeFi tools, and interoperability, suggesting that at least part of the XRP ecosystem is ready to get involved if the door remains open.

Whether this indicates deeper collaboration or a narrower academic approach remains an open question, but the signal itself is difficult to ignore.

Solana + XRP + Cardano

Interestingly, around the same time, Solana injected fuel into the narrative by hinting that the unofficial “alliance” between Ethereum and XRP (which, let’s be honest, was never concluded) may be coming to an end, as XRP’s entry into the Solana ecosystem was teased and then confirmed. Solana-wrapped XRP is 1:1 backed and redeemable with XRPL, reconfiguring XRP as a DeFi asset that can be used beyond its original rails.

Taken together, these parts form a pattern. Cardano explores XRP builders, Solana onboards XRP liquidity, and Ethereum loses exclusivity through broader DeFi conversations.