Key Insights:
- Cardano tops Bitcoin and Ethereum in a governance-focused decentralization score.
- Native USDC launch strengthens Cardano DeFi without bridge risk.
- Bitcoin’s early adoption story shows a different path to decentralization.
In the latest Cardano news, the protocol’s decentralization ranking has sparked debate after a new assessment placed the network ahead of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Notably, the commentary cited governance design, validator spread, and native systems rather than market size or brand dominance.
Cardano News: The Decentralization Ranking
Cardano decentralization ranking gained attention after Justin Bons published a detailed scorecard measuring how power and control are distributed across major blockchains. In his breakdown, Cardano scored 46 out of 60, placing it above Ethereum at 42, Solana at 40, and Bitcoin at 20, based on several governance and infrastructure metrics.
Bons listed Cardano’s high validator count, broad client diversity, native delegation system, and on-chain governance framework. It is worth mentioning that these features helped Cardano post strong scores across most categories.
Per the Cardano news, the only major weakness noted was what Bons described as limited pushback against IOHK and founder Charles Hoskinson. This generally reduced the final tally.
The ranking sparked wider discussion after crypto commentator dori compared the scores directly with other leading chains.
According to dori’s Cardano News, even when measured against Bitcoin and Ethereum, ADA came out as the most decentralized under this framework. The comparison reframed the usual debate, as Bitcoin is often treated as the benchmark for decentralization due to its age and lack of formal leadership.
Still, supporters of the ranking metric argue that decentralization today goes beyond mining distribution. It includes governance access, validator participation, and protocol upgrade paths.
From that view, Cardano’s structure allows more users to take part in decision-making without relying on off-chain coordination or informal influence.
Critics, however, point out that rankings depend on how decentralization is defined. Bitcoin’s lower score reflects its minimal governance design, not necessarily central control.
Cardano News: Expanding Functionalities
In another Cardano news, recent developments around the protocol have added weight to the decentralization argument. One of the most discussed updates is the launch of native USDC on Cardano through Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol.
Known as USDCx, the asset is not wrapped or issued through a custodial bridge. Under the system, USDC is burned on the source chain and minted natively on Cardano, backed one-to-one by Circle reserves.
This removes the need for third-party bridges, which have been frequent targets for exploits across the industry.
Notably, Charles Hoskinson confirmed the agreement with Circle, describing it as a direct connection to global dollar liquidity. This design allows capital to move into Cardano without relying on synthetic assets.
In addition, users can provide liquidity on decentralized exchanges like Minswap, access lending markets such as Liqwid, and settle payments using a native stablecoin.
Supporters say this reduces risk while keeping control within the protocol, rather than outsourcing trust to external bridge operators. Treasury incentives for USDCx and ADA pairs are also expected to attract liquidity providers. Over time, this could deepen Cardano’s DeFi markets while keeping assets native to the chain.
For advocates, these steps show how decentralization can extend beyond consensus and into how value moves across networks.
Tim Draper and the Early Bitcoin Adoption Perspective
Away from the Cardano news, the debate also draws on Bitcoin’s early history. Venture capitalist Tim Draper recently recalled buying 30,000 Bitcoin at a U.S. Marshals auction, paying above market price when Bitcoin traded near $618.
Draper said his decision was simple. If Bitcoin succeeded, its value against fiat would have no clear limit.
If it failed, the difference in bid price would not matter. He ended up winning all nine auction lots and briefly tried to share the purchase with former partners, who declined.
Again, the process itself highlighted the network’s early limits. Draper described waiting through multiple confirmations as the blockchain moved slowly at the time. If anything is clear, that experience reflects how Bitcoin adoption began with conviction rather than efficiency.