Cardano and Solana Bridge Talks Signal New Era as Midnight’s NIGHT Token Surges

Cardano and Solana, two of the most influential blockchain ecosystems, may be moving toward an unprecedented level of cooperation. Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko and Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson have publicly agreed to explore the creation of a cross-chain bridge that would allow Cardano’s native token, ADA, to be usable on the Solana network for trading and decentralized finance applications. If implemented, such interoperability could unlock new liquidity opportunities, improve cross-chain DeFi activity, and reduce long-standing tribalism between blockchain communities.

Historically, the Solana and Cardano communities have been fierce rivals, often engaging in heated debates over scalability, performance, and decentralization. The rivalry intensified through repeated “ADA vs. SOL” comparisons across social media. However, Yakovenko recently signaled a change in tone on X, stating that fighting with Cardano or XRP is “bearish,” suggesting that hostility between ecosystems ultimately hurts the broader crypto market. When the idea of interoperability was raised, Yakovenko responded simply with, “Let’s do it,” to which Hoskinson replied, “Time to get cooking.”

Despite some last-minute bickering from prominent community members debating which blockchain is superior, the exchange between the founders marked a notable shift toward collaboration. A Cardano–Solana bridge could significantly expand cross-chain use cases, enabling ADA holders to tap into Solana’s fast-growing DeFi and trading ecosystem while fostering a more unified blockchain landscape.

At the same time, Hoskinson has drawn attention to another major development within the Cardano ecosystem: the rapid rise of the NIGHT token. NIGHT is the native asset of Midnight, a privacy-focused network built on Cardano. According to CoinGecko data, NIGHT’s 24-hour trading volume has surged to around $4 billion, outpacing both XRP and Solana’s SOL token during the same period. The token officially launched on December 8 and quickly became available on major centralized exchanges such as Kraken and Bybit, as well as multiple Cardano-based decentralized exchanges.

Hoskinson has described the launch as an “incredible success” and expressed confidence that Midnight could see substantial growth in total value locked and monthly active users. He argues that privacy-focused DeFi applications, including private DEXs, stablecoins, and prediction markets, address some of the biggest pain points in decentralized finance. Together, the bridge discussions and Midnight’s momentum highlight a potentially transformative phase for Cardano, Solana, and the wider crypto ecosystem.