By Lubwama S.

Monday, November 17th, 2025 – Berlin, Germany — Cardano Summit 2025 wrapped up last week at Berlin’s iconic Gasometer, spotlighting trust, digital identity, and a rapidly shifting institutional stance toward blockchain. The two-day event gathered 140 speakers, nearly 800 in-person attendees from over 70 countries, and more than 25,000 online participants, underscoring Cardano’s growing enterprise momentum.

Trust Takes Center Stage

Cardano Foundation CEO Frederik Gregaard opened the Summit by calling attendees an “army of changemakers,” underscoring that trust—not technology—is the real driver of blockchain adoption. Venture capitalist Tim Draper echoed this directly: “Trust is the real value of decentralization.”
Johnson & Johnson’s Florian Krueger-Herbert emphasized blockchain’s ability to provide “a safe, tamper-proof record that everyone can trust, from manufacturers to patients.”

The Summit also marked the release of the Cardano Foundation’s joint Blockchain Research Institute report on Digital Trust Infrastructure, presenting a new framework for reducing friction and boosting productivity in the next-generation economy. Its themes dominated Day Two conversations, with the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation’s Christoph Schneider stating that organizations have “a lot to gain in this decentralized system.”

Identity, Security, and the Zero-Knowledge Era

Identity security emerged as one of the most urgent enterprise challenges.
Thomas Mayfield, Head of Decentralized Trust & Identity Solutions at the Cardano Foundation, warned that “80% of data breaches are due to identity being compromised.”
Animoca Brands’ Robby Yung highlighted zero-knowledge proofs as a “silver bullet” enabling verified interactions without exposing private data.

Traditional Finance Begins to Feel the Blockchain FOMO

One of the most notable shifts came from traditional financial institutions.
Boston Consulting Group’s Bernhard Kronfellner revealed that major banks now show clear FOMO, with “two-thirds of conversations about stablecoins.”
European Commission Principal Economist Joachim Schwerin reinforced the EU’s “very positive approach to blockchain,” positioning it as a breakthrough infrastructure.

Mastercard’s Christian Rau added that payments innovation has reached a turning point:
“We have more optionality now than ever… stablecoins solve real issues,” extending beyond cross-border flows to payroll, treasury, and DeFi-linked treasury management.

Roadmap 2026: Liquidity, Web3 Integration, and Real-World Assets

The Summit also showcased the Cardano Foundation’s 2026 roadmap, focusing on:

• Deepening DeFi liquidity

• Accelerating Web3 integration

• Advancing real-world asset (RWA) tokenization

• Strengthening governance decentralization

• Expanding education and blockchain-for-good programs

A recent roadmap update detailed tangible progress across DeFi, Web3, RWA, and governance initiatives—reinforcing the Foundation’s commitment to transparent, measurable delivery.

Cardano Looks to 2026: Singapore Announced as Next Host City

Gregaard closed the Summit by positioning Cardano as a global digital trust layer, capable of counterbalancing AI’s limitations by enabling secure identity, resilient data systems, and decentralized governance. With enterprise interest climbing and “real, behind-closed-doors adoption discussions” accelerating, the Foundation’s dual focus on DeFi growth and enterprise integration signals a maturing ecosystem ready for mainstream deployment.

The Cardano Foundation officially announced Singapore as the host for Cardano Summit 2026, marking the network’s growing presence across global economic hubs.

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About the Cardano Foundation
The Cardano Foundation is an independent, Swiss-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing Cardano as a public digital infrastructure across global industries. It develops open blockchain tooling, strengthens operational resilience, and drives real-world adoption and sound governance.
For more information, visit: www.cardanofoundation.org.