CardanoADA

A proof-of-stake smart-contract blockchain with on-chain voting and a shared treasury.

Rank #18Since September 2017

Price on 31 Oct 2026

C$0.2694 +14.1% since 31 Jul 2026 · 93.1% below its all-time high

The short version

Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain for smart contracts with on-chain governance and a community treasury, founded by Charles Hoskinson. Three bodies develop it: Input Output (US), the Cardano Foundation (Switzerland) and Emurgo (Japan). On 21 Nov 2025 a malformed transaction split the chain for several hours, and on 7 Aug 2026 Grayscale withdrew its planned US Cardano ETF. On 31 Oct 2026 one ADA cost C$0.2694. From 31 Jul 2026 to 31 Oct 2026 its price changed +14.1% in Canadian dollars, and it was 93.1% below its all-time high of C$3.90 set on 1 Sep 2021.^[1]

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 13 sources · next update about 1 Dec 2026

Price, past year

Past year: high C$0.8572 (2 Nov 2025) · low C$0.2040 (26 Jun 2026) · -68.4%^[1]

Month-end prices (table)

Date	C$	US$
31 Oct 2026	C$0.2694	US$0.1930
30 Sep 2026	C$0.3479	US$0.2444
31 Aug 2026	C$0.2672	US$0.1927
31 Jul 2026	C$0.2380	US$0.1697
30 Jun 2026	C$0.2068	US$0.1456
31 May 2026	C$0.3253	US$0.2358
30 Apr 2026	C$0.3322	US$0.2446
31 Mar 2026	C$0.3385	US$0.2435
28 Feb 2026	C$0.4013	US$0.2935
31 Jan 2026	C$0.4332	US$0.3211
31 Dec 2025	C$0.4807	US$0.3510
30 Nov 2025	C$0.5825	US$0.4153

Daily prices from CoinGecko; C$ converted at the Bank of Canada daily rate. The latest point is live when available. Past prices, not a forecast.

Choose what to see

Key facts

Price, 31 Oct 2026: C$0.2694^[1]
3-month change: +14.1% in C$ (31 Jul 2026 to 31 Oct 2026)^[1]
From its high: 93.1% below its high of C$3.90 (1 Sep 2021)^[1]
Market rank: #18, market value about C$10.1B^[1]
Kind: Native coin · Cardano (its own network)
Started: September 2017

Checks: the same 9 questions for every coin

Facts, not a rating

Can an admin key create new coins?NoNew ADA come only from the protocol reserve under a fixed rule^[2]

Can anyone freeze or take coins from holders?NoThe protocol has no function to freeze or seize ADA^[3]

Can the token's contract code be changed?Not applicableRuns on its own blockchain; its rules change only through network upgrades

Is the supply capped?Yes45B maximum^[4]

Any scheduled unlocks in the next 12 months?NoNo vesting; reserve emissions about 3.5% a year^[2]

Does a team or foundation hold over 10% of supply?Not disclosedFounding entities got about 16% at launch; current holdings unpublished^[3]

Do network fees reach coin holders?YesFees (US$0.99M a year) go to the staking reward pot^{[5, 2]}

Main network hacked or halted in the past 2 years?YesA malformed transaction split the chain for hours on 21 Nov 2025^{[6, 7]}

Is a regulator or court case targeting the coin itself?NoNamed a digital commodity on 17 Mar 2026; no live enforcement found^[8]

Each answer is a fact with a source, not a score. What each check means.

Who controls it

Run by: Input Output (US), Cardano Foundation (Zug) and Emurgo (Japan); member body Intersect coordinates governance work^[3]
Founder: Charles Hoskinson, an Ethereum co-founder; the 2015-17 token sale raised about US$62M^[3]
Treasury: On-chain treasury held 1.39B ADA on 23 Oct 2026; spending needs on-chain governance approval^{[2, 9]}

Supply

In circulation: 37.57B ADA of a 45.00B maximum (83.5%)^[1]
Fully diluted value: 1.20 times its current market value^[1]
Circulating: About 36.82B of 45B ADA, per CoinMarketCap on 31 Oct 2026^[4]
New coins: About 1.3B ADA a year (about 3.5%) from the reserve, which held 6.05B on 23 Oct^[2]
Unlocks: None; no vesting allocations^[2]

Use and fees

Main use: Smart contracts and on-chain governance; DeFi apps hold US$53.8M^[5]
Network fees: US$0.99M in the past year; apps took US$7.4M^[5]
Who gets fees: Fees join the staking reward pot, mostly funded by reserve emissions; there is no burn^[2]

Trading

Daily trading: About C$619.9M a day on average, 31 Jul 2026 to 31 Oct 2026^[1]
Daily turnover: Typically 5.07% of its market value changes hands each day^[1]
20-week average: 2.7% below its 20-week average price^[1]
1-year change: -68.7% in C$^[1]^[10]

History

Not a forecast

Coins ranked 11-50 at this point in past cycles (12-14 months after a Bitcoin peak), one year later: 1,080 cases, 157 coins

46% were higher a year later^[11]

Typical result: Median -6% after a year; 61% higher after two years
Lost half or more: 25% within a year
Against Bitcoin: 12% did better than Bitcoin over the year

History, not a forecast.

Red flags and things to watch

1 red flag found

Red flag: On 21 Nov 2025 a malformed transaction exploited a node-library bug and split Cardano's chain for several hours; no funds were lost.^{[6, 7]}

Grayscale withdrew its Cardano ETF registration on 7 Aug 2026, two days before ADA would have qualified for generic US listing.^[12]
Input Output cut its 2026 treasury request about 50%, to about US$46.8M, including 27.7M ADA for the Leios upgrade.^[9]
Dijkstra phase 1 (Leios) is planned for Q4 2026; its mainnet date awaits governance ratification.^[13]

Checked: admin keys, contract upgrades, unlocks, insider supply, hacks, legal actions and claims against records.

Sources and dates

Facts as of 31 Oct 2026. Prices from CoinGecko in Canadian and US dollars; US$ figures without a C$ price are converted at 1.3976 C$ per US$.