Cardano is making headlines again with some exciting updates that could shape its future in the crypto world.

Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, has reacted positively to a new feature called x402 that’s being introduced to the Cardano blockchain. This was announced by Patrick Tobler, the founder of NMKR and Masumi Network. Masumi is a protocol built on Cardano that focuses on powering the AI Agent Economy.

Hoskinson called this development “very big for Cardano,” and here’s why it matters.

x402 is based on the HTTP 402 status code, which was originally reserved for payment systems. This new technology allows people to pay for digital services directly through an API—without needing to sign up, share an email, or go through complicated login steps. It was originally developed by Coinbase and is now part of Google’s Agent-Payment Protocol (AP2).

With x402, Cardano can now support automatic, native payments that are verifiable. This means it could act as a powerful financial infrastructure for apps and digital agents, streamlining how payments are handled across the internet.

In other big news, Cardano’s core team at Input Output has confirmed that a major upgrade called Ouroboros Leios is moving from research into actual development. Leios is a new version of Cardano’s consensus algorithm, designed to improve scalability and speed. The project has officially moved from the research team (IOR) to the engineering team (IOE), which means real-world implementation is now underway.

Also worth noting, Cardano (ADA) is part of the new Grayscale CoinDesk Crypto 5 ETF (GDLC), which just launched on the New York Stock Exchange. This ETF includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana (SOL), XRP, and Cardano, representing over 90% of the total crypto market value. It gives investors a simple way to gain exposure to the top digital currencies all in one fund.

To sum it up:
– x402 brings easy, no-login payments to Cardano.
– Ouroboros Leios is now in the build phase, aiming to boost Cardano’s performance.
– ADA is included in a major new crypto ETF traded on the NYSE.

These updates show that Cardano is not just staying relevant but actively expanding its tech and market presence.