Cardano Unveils Midnight: A Major Turning Point for the Network

As Ethereum has completed its Pectra upgrade, the Cardano network is preparing to introduce a major evolution with the Midnight upgrade. By integrating ADA into its wallet, the Brave browser amplifies the resurgence of Charles Hoskinson’s network.

Cardano integrates the Web3 Brave browser

Created in 2015, the Brave browser has become an essential tool for internet browsing for all users concerned about their personal data. Indeed, it allows completely anonymous browsing via the Tor network. Since 2019, the network has even opened to Web3. It offers an integrated wallet, as well as its own token, BAT, to reward users of the network.

With now 70 million users, Brave is therefore a must-have for Web3. The new ability to use the Cardano network in its native wallet allows the ADA cryptocurrency to open up to a wider community that will be able to use it through this browser. Few wallets are currently compatible with this network, which is a major obstacle to its adoption. This integration is therefore an important element for the success of this project.

Midnight, a necessary update for the arrival of RWAs

However, this integration is really just one piece among the new features to watch. Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, has announced a series of updates for summer and autumn 2025. The Midnight update series focuses on privacy and scalability. Cardano is thus preparing a key upgrade, likely to strengthen the ecosystem and support a recovery in ADA’s price. To understand the stakes around Midnight, it is important to remember that after a long series of network evolutions, the launch of the Voltaire era in 2024, marked by decentralized governance, signals the end of the first roadmap proposed by Charles Hoskinson. The network, as initially conceived, has been completed and the goal now is to optimize it.

Midnight is not an update like the others. It is actually a sidechain created by Input Output Global to offer a programmable network that protects user data for Real World Asset (RWA) applications. Indeed, these applications can only fit into a legal framework if they are able to protect certain data from the companies that want to use them. This protection is even more important with the growing presence of AI. Midnight is the product of several years of development and uses features from several projects. It incorporates consensus mechanisms inspired by Aptos, the Polkadot SDK, the privacy architecture of zCash and also features present in Cardano layer 1.

Privacy will be at the heart of the 4th generation of cryptocurrencies

During the Paris Blockchain Week, Charles Hoskinson explained that we have now entered the fourth generation in the history of cryptocurrencies. The first generation was decentralization with Bitcoin, the second was programmability with Ethereum’s smart contracts, the third was interoperability with the Cosmos and Polkadot projects. The fourth is privacy with the growing use of zero-knowledge proof technology for network security and data protection. The Midnight sidechain thus plays an important role in this new era.

During this conference, Hoskinson also indicated that there will be an airdrop of the token of this sidechain. Not only are Cardano users concerned, but also those of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and users of the XRP network and other unannounced networks may also be involved. The details of the airdrop have not yet been revealed, just like the tokenomics of this new cryptocurrency. For now, Midnight is still in the testing phase and the mainnet launch is expected in the third or fourth quarter of this year.

Thanks to this sidechain, the ADA cryptocurrency could attract new investors given the growth potential in the Real World Assets sector. Having benefited from the recent market rise with a 20% increase over seven days, ADA could regain the $1 price it had already reached between November 2024 and January 2025.

With integration into the Brave Wallet and the upcoming launch of the Midnight sidechain mainnet, the Cardano network has just unveiled two important innovations to develop its use, even as the Web3 browser struggles to maintain its momentum, leaving behind criticisms that consider it a network abandoned by applications.

Patrice V.

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The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.