Will Cardano (ADA) Rise From the Ashes in 2025?

For years, Cardano (ADA) has been a cornerstone of the crypto landscape, consistently ranking among the top digital assets by market capitalization.

Cardano (ADA) has been a mainstay in the crypto sphere for years, consistently featuring among the top digital assets by market capitalization. However, despite its prominence, ADA’s price performance and overall trends have sparked discussion and raised questions about the token’s long-term prospects.

While it recently made headlines for being included in US President Donald Trump’s initial proposal for a national crypto stockpile, its price action and onchain activity tell a different story — one that has even led some critics to brand it a “zombie.”

Recent findings suggest that the ecosystem behind ADA, the Cardano network, lags significantly behind in decentralized finance (DeFi) adoption. With only a fraction of the total value locked (TVL) compared with Ethereum and Solana, Cardano struggles to attract liquidity and stablecoin activity.

According to DeFi Llama, Ethereum boasts an impressive $46 billion in TVL, while Solana follows closely with $10 billion. In stark contrast, Cardano lags significantly with a mere $1 billion in TVL. To put this into perspective, even newer blockchains like Arbitrum and Optimism have managed to outpace Cardano.

Among the most liquid stablecoins, Tether (USDT) dominates with over $30 billion in volume on Ethereum alone. In comparison, Cardano struggles to maintain any significant stablecoin activity.

While some argue that its DeFi sector is still in its early stages, several newer blockchains have already outpaced it in user engagement and trading volume. As of the fourth quarter of 2022, Arbitrum and Optimism, both launched in 2021, are handling more trading activity than Cardano, which started in 2015.

Key developments on the horizon could impact ADA’s fate in 2025. A potential ADA ETF and its emerging role in Bitcoin’s DeFi ecosystem could be crucial.

But will these developments be enough to turn the tide? Join us as we delve deeper into the current state of Cardano's native token. Watch the full video now on the Cointelegraph YouTube channel!