Cardano-Ripple Collaboration? Hoskinson Praises Ripple CTO in Recent Comments

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has recently praised Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) David Schwartz, offering high praise for his leadership and Ripple’s resilience in the face of ongoing challenges. During a live stream, Hoskinson described Schwartz as “super smart” and “really passionate,” highlighting his ability to remain steadfast despite the challenges Ripple has faced, particularly its prolonged legal battle with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Hoskinson emphasized Schwartz’s brilliance and his personal qualities, stating that it’s “a lot of fun being in meetings with him” and that he enjoys spending time with him. He also praised Ripple for its unwavering perseverance, noting that the company continues to push forward despite the lawsuits, delistings, and regulatory issues it has encountered over the years.

Ripple has been involved in a legal dispute with the SEC since December 2020, when the SEC accused the company of conducting an unregistered securities offering by selling XRP tokens. In July 2023, Ripple scored a partial victory when a federal judge ruled that XRP is not a security when sold on public exchanges, but the case remains ongoing with appeals and unresolved penalties. Despite these challenges, Hoskinson remains optimistic about Ripple’s future, stating, “They’re still here. They’re still resilient. And they got a bright future because of it.”

Hoskinson’s recent remarks signal a shift in his stance toward Ripple and its community. This shift was marked by his public apology to the XRP community in November 2023, which seemed to open the door for a more cooperative relationship between the two projects. Hoskinson confirmed that he had met with Schwartz and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse to explore potential synergies between Cardano and Ripple’s ecosystems. This has fueled speculation about a possible collaboration between the two.

Hoskinson further revealed in a December interview that the discussions centered around the possibility of integrating Ripple’s XRP ecosystem with Cardano, particularly focusing on Cardano’s privacy-centric sidechain, Midnight, and its smart contract toolkit, Marlowe. He suggested that XRP might be a better fit for the Marlowe platform than Cardano’s native ADA token. Additionally, Hoskinson mentioned the potential integration of Ripple’s upcoming RLUSD stablecoin into the Cardano blockchain, which would further enhance the connection between the two ecosystems.

This shift in Hoskinson’s tone, combined with the discussions around possible collaboration, has sparked speculation about the future of Cardano and Ripple’s relationship, with many crypto enthusiasts and industry watchers keen to see if the two projects will find common ground in the coming months.