Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has identified the expansion of the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem as a crucial driver for the growth of the ADA network. In a recent interview, Hoskinson emphasized the need for Cardano to enhance its DeFi metrics, including monthly active users, total value locked, and stablecoin issuance, by 10 to 100 times to unlock the next growth phase. The Cardano Foundation has already committed significant ADA to boost stablecoin DeFi liquidity, and efforts are underway to integrate USDC and USDT into the network. Hoskinson also highlighted the potential of Cardano's sidechain, Midnight, which he described as a fourth-generation cryptocurrency. He believes that Midnight's focus on privacy and its ability to integrate with decentralized applications could significantly increase user adoption. Hoskinson suggested that a closer collaboration between Cardano and Midnight could attract users from other major chains and enhance Cardano's DeFi metrics, potentially triggering a new bull market for the network.