Cardano’s Foundation Chief Expertise Officer (CTO), Giorgio Zinetti, has expressed optimism a couple of doable cryptocurrency market rebound. In a publish on X, Zinetti famous that there are clear indications of this based mostly on prevailing market circumstances.
Shift towards AI leaves DeFi constructing in ailence
In line with Zinetti, the amount of Bitcoin energetic addresses is at a 12-month low, signaling decreased community exercise.
Moreover, Bitcoin miners have recorded a 20% drop in income as they’re incomes much less, which suggests strain in the marketplace.
In the meantime, within the final 70 days, Bitcoin has plunged by over 32% after it hit an all-time excessive (ATH) of $126,198. That is one other clear indication that momentum has waned and sentiment is cooling.
Bitcoin energetic addresses hit a 12-month low, signaling decreased community exercise. Miner income down 20% from Q3, indicating potential stress on mining operations. 70 days because the 126K high and we’re down 32%.
Everybody’s speaking about AI.
No person’s speaking about DeFi.
That is…
Zinetti observed that the current setup is because attention has shifted away from cryptocurrency to artificial intelligence (AI). He maintains that with attention focused on AI, the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector is quietly building.
He noted that the “best DeFi protocols of 2026” are being built right now by different founders.
Zinetti believes that now that attention has shifted to other sectors, the next cycle of winners is laying a solid foundation that could yield massive returns in 2026.
Patience and infrastructure may drive next cycle
In essence, the Cardano Foundation CTO is encouraging market participants to remain patient and ignore the noise and fluctuations.
He wants holders to remember that crypto cycles only reward those who build and invest when no one is paying attention. Overall, Zinetti opines that the DeFi product being shipped can fuel a market rebound heading into 2026.
Interestingly, on Dec. 12, Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson made an unexpected post that fueled widespread reaction. Notably, he addressed the XRP community regarding the possibility of hosting an XRP DeFi summit, and who should make the list.
Hoskinson’s post suggests possible alignment for interoperability in the altcoin space. It might be the kind of “building” that Zinetti referred to earlier, as attention stays on AI in the interim.
In November, Hoskinson had hinted at an ambitious plan to integrate DeFi into Bitcoin, a move meant to bridge the two blockchains. The aim is to make things easier for users so they can interact with decentralized apps by spending Bitcoin directly.
