During a keynote address at Consensus Hong Kong on Thursday, Charles Hoskinson, the CEO and founder of Input Output, revealed an agreement to integrate LayerZero into the Cardano blockchain.
LayerZero is designed to facilitate institutional-grade markets and recently secured funding from Citadel Securities just a day prior.
This announcement coincides with the launch of Midnight’s mainnet, which was also disclosed earlier that morning.
Dressed humorously in a McDonald’s uniform as a playful reference to the current market slump, Hoskinson remarked: “The industry is facing challenges. Things are getting serious. Twitter resembles a nuclear dumpster fire. Overall sentiment has plummeted.”
However, he maintained that this represents only a minor downturn while asserting that “the broader outlook remains optimistic.”
“To demonstrate this optimism,” he continued, “I am thrilled to announce our collaboration with LayerZero. We are set to introduce USDCx on Cardano with an established launch date and extensive support across wallets and exchanges. This will enable stablecoins characterized by genuine privacy and immutability through zero-knowledge technology. It’s tailored for institutional use — and it’s happening now alongside Midnight’s mainnet debut. Prepare yourselves; this will transform everything.”
UPDATE (Feb. 12, 2026, 02:21 UTC): Includes further insights and remarks from Charles Hoskinson.