Cardano (ADA) to See Rally Thanks to Hard Fork Upgrade, Whale Investments

Cardano (ADA) is trading dangerously close to a low resistance level, however, market analysts still see upside potential for the cryptocurrency. ADA price is down 8% in the past week

Cardano (ADA) price is down 8% in the past week, while the overall crypto market is experiencing a period of renewal. However, experts still see upside potential for the cryptocurrency, indicating a potential 140% ADA rally on the horizon.

A large reason for the drop in price for Cardano was the surprising whale activity. Large-scale cardano holders sold 180 million ADA tokens last week, according to data shared on X (formerly Twitter) by crypto analyst Ali Martinez. Despite this, several key indicators suggest a strong year ahead for the asset.

After losing its dollar crown in 2022, the token is expected to regain that lost valuation soon. One key indicator that could help ADA’s price is its upcoming Plomin hard fork. The new upgrade will introduce full decentralized governance, where ADA holders will have voting power over key blockchain decisions.

"The Plomin hard fork takes effect, marking the transition to full decentralized governance. $ADA holders gain real voting power—on parameter changes, treasury withdrawals, hard forks, and the blockchain's future," the post adds.

The upgrade will also allow token holders to delegate voting power to delegated representatives who vote on governance actions, including protocol parameter changes, treasury withdrawals, and hard fork initiations.

Usually, hard forks require staking pool operators to upgrade their nodes and approve the upgrade with a 51% majority. As of January 22, 78% of Cardano’s network nodes had upgraded to the new version, according to a January 23 report from Emurgo.

Moreover, the upcoming hard fork upgrade and whale investments could help ADA regain the $1 valuation. In the past, previous upgrades gave Cardano's cryptocurrency a slight boost in value, with investors showing confidence in the updates' promises.

Currently trading at $0.95, ADA hopes to pick back up on the 95% yearly gains it has seen since 2024. According to data from CoinCodex, ADA will carry its current trend into February. The firm projects the altcoin will be trading slightly higher than its current price level. Cardano will begin February at a price range of $0.980228. This further marks a 1.92% rise from its existing price. While this may not seem like a lot, the asset seems to be finding its way back to $1 and beyond.