Charles Hoskinson isn’t backing away from big predictions. The Cardano founder says crypto is still early, despite years of growth and repeated boom-and-bust cycles. In his view, the industry is setting up for something much larger—both in size and in reach. Related Reading: Crypto Heat Fizzling Out? US Search Interest Plunges As Retail Shy Away Today, crypto counts more than 500 million users worldwide. The combined market value already sits in the trillions, with Bitcoin alone worth about $1.75 trillion. That’s impressive, but Hoskinson argues it’s nowhere near the finish line. He believes the sector can grow to 2 billion users and hit a $10 trillion total valuation. That’s a fourfold jump in adoption and more than triple today’s market size. His timeline is clear too. Hoskinson says this could happen within the next 10 years, by 2035. Why Hoskinson Thinks Crypto Explodes From Here The key driver, according to Hoskinson, is real-world asset tokenization, often called RWA. It’s the idea of putting traditional assets—like bonds, property, and commodities—onto blockchains. This isn’t theoretical anymore. Data from RWA.xyz shows close to $20 billion worth of assets, including bonds and real estate, have already been tokenized. That number keeps climbing, even during slow market periods. UPDATE: #Cardano $ADA Founder Charles Hoskinson says the crypto industry will “grow to 2 billion users over the next 10 years and a $10 trillion market cap, because of the RWA revolution and the unification of the financial markets.” $NIGHT pic.twitter.com/F9mntPZd0I — Angry Crypto Show (@angrycryptoshow) December 28, 2025 Hoskinson says this trend changes everything. When assets move on-chain, crypto stops being just about trading tokens. It becomes financial infrastructure. Add in global payment rails and shared standards across blockchains, and you get what he calls a “unified financial market.” Privacy-focused projects also matter here. Hoskinson has pointed to initiatives like Midnight, which aim to balance compliance and privacy. He believes these tools could make institutions more comfortable bringing large pools of capital on-chain. Cardano’s Reality Check In The Market Still, Hoskinson’s optimism comes at an awkward time for his own network. Cardano (ADA) is ending the year under pressure. Selling has stayed heavy, and rallies haven’t lasted. Buying volume remains thin. Price action is stuck below key resistance levels, and momentum hasn’t flipped. As a result, ADA is hovering near important support zones. If those levels break, traders warn the token could drop below $0.30, a psychological line many are watching closely. Market activity overall has slowed, and for now, sellers are still in control. This disconnect hasn’t gone unnoticed. Critics argue Hoskinson’s push for cooperation is partly driven by Cardano’s struggle to attract users at the pace seen on other major chains. Abundance Of Wealth Hoskinson rejects the idea that crypto is a winner-takes-all game. He says the future isn’t about one chain dominating the rest. Instead, he sees room for many networks to grow together. Related Reading: Crypto Policy In The Hot Seat As US Lawmaker Calls SEC Hearing There’s lots of wealth to spread around, he’s said recently. In his view, projects with real use cases will find users naturally as the market expands. That thinking explains his openness to partnerships. Hoskinson has previously hinted at collaborations involving major ecosystems like XRP and Solana. The goal, he says, is shared growth, not tribal fights. Whether the industry reaches $10 trillion remains an open question. But here’s the thing: If RWAs keep moving on-chain and global finance truly starts to merge with crypto rails, the market Hoskinson imagines won’t sound so far-fetched anymore. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
