[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee] Charles Hoskinson (찰스 호스킨슨), founder of Cardano (ADA), has set a goal of launching a Cardano-based Bitcoin (BTC) yield system within the year.

On April 21 local time, blockchain outlet The Crypto Basic reported that the plan focuses on letting Bitcoin holders earn returns with a single button press, or “one click,” without going through complex decentralised finance (DeFi) procedures.

The core is an automated structure that directly operates Bitcoin. In an interview, Hoskinson explained that the system lends Bitcoin and secures stablecoins, then deploys them into Cardano’s real-world finance applications, known as RealFi, to generate yield. It then uses the yield to buy additional Bitcoin to increase holdings. The structure ultimately returns the accumulated Bitcoin to users.

The user experience is designed to be as simple as possible. Hoskinson said users do not need to understand the lending structure, stablecoin flows or yield strategies. Users only need to make “one click” on a basic interface, while the actual financial engine is built to run automatically in the background.

In the process, the privacy chain Midnight plays a key role. Hoskinson said Midnight’s privacy features can keep transactions private end to end. He viewed the structure as enabling participation in DeFi without exposing sensitive financial data.

Hoskinson said Cardano and Midnight upgrades must come first for the plan to become an actual service. If DeFi infrastructure and scalability improvements proceed as planned, he explained, the system could work as if “turning on a switch.” He said a launch before the end of the year is possible if those conditions are met.

Cardano’s efforts to attract Bitcoin liquidity are also cited as a backdrop to the plan. Hoskinson believes Bitcoin holders can gain yield opportunities within a framework focused on security and privacy, while Cardano can draw in large-scale liquidity. He has previously estimated the plan could attract Bitcoin-based assets worth up to trillions of dollars.

In line with that direction, Cardano has set Bitcoin DeFi integration as one of five key pillars of its roadmap. Related work is already under way. In 2024, Cardano, through EMURGO, collaborated with BitcoinOS to integrate the BOS Grail bridge. The bridge is designed to use zero-knowledge proofs to move Bitcoin to Cardano without relying on a third party.

Technical validation within the Cardano ecosystem is also continuing. DeFi platform Fluid Tokens completed the first atomic swap between Bitcoin and Cardano in March. The transaction exchanged 0.0001 BTC for 50 ADA, and was presented as an example showing Cardano taking the technical steps needed to expand Bitcoin-based DeFi.

As a result, whether the year-end goal leads to an actual service launch now depends on Cardano’s infrastructure upgrades, integration with Midnight and the completeness of connectivity technology to bring Bitcoin assets into Cardano DeFi.

Earn yield on Bitcoin privately. RealFi on Cardano gives the yield. Midnight gives it privacy. pic.twitter.com/5PXQb62Dyf