The Cardano Foundation has formally mentioned the possibility of expanding links with the OpenUSD (OUSD) ecosystem.

On July 3 (local time), blockchain outlet The Crypto Basic reported that the foundation congratulated the launch of the OpenUSD stablecoin and said connections with Cardano could expand further, spurred by partner Brale's participation.

The foundation highlighted that its partner Brale took part as a launch partner for OpenUSD. Brale already has a cooperative relationship with the Cardano ecosystem. Around 2025, it teamed up with the Cardano Foundation to support issuance of a regulatory-compliant native stablecoin within the network. The foundation sees these links as a potential bridge connecting OpenUSD and Cardano.

The Cardano Foundation said it is also reviewing other integration options besides Brale. It said it would disclose details if additional discussions make progress.

The comments came as criticism in the community grew after Cardano was left off a public list of organisations linked to OpenUSD. The OpenUSD consortium includes major finance and payment companies such as Visa, Ripple, MoonPay and Mastercard. That led to continued questions about why Cardano, which has emphasised expanding real-world financial adoption, is not on the official list.

Charles Hoskinson (찰스 호스킨슨), Cardano's founder, pointed to governance decisions by delegated representatives, known as DReps, as the background. He said the community had previously rejected proposals, through on-chain voting, aimed at speeding up Cardano's commercialisation. He explained that such governance outcomes directly affected strategic business partnerships and the ability to expand markets.

Dory, a leading DRep within Cardano, is reviewing its previous stance. Dory said the ecosystem can no longer rely only on the efforts of the Cardano Foundation and EMURGO to drive business adoption and ecosystem expansion. It urged that, for Cardano to compete with rival chains, governance participants should take a more favourable approach to commercialisation-related proposals, and through that support the role of Input Output Global.

At the centre of this debate is Cardano's stablecoin competitiveness. The community sees a stronger stablecoin ecosystem as necessary to accelerate DeFi activity. After the introduction of USDCx earlier this year, Cardano's stablecoin market size exceeded 60 billion dollars, but it has now edged down to 59.1 billion dollars.

As a result, the possibility of additional integration with OpenUSD has taken on meaning beyond a simple expansion of partnerships. With the Cardano Foundation saying it is considering routes beyond Brale, the scope of any Open USD inclusion and a shift in governance toward commercialisation have emerged as key points to watch for Cardano's DeFi strategy.

We welcome the announcement of OpenUSD and our partner @brale_xyz as a launch partner. We are exploring other integration options also and will share more in due course. https://t.co/IQmQuL8TpA