Large holders continue to buy Cardano in high volumes while small wallets are reducing exposure, as market pressure persists and ADA remains down. On-chain activity highlights that whale wallets added hundreds of millions of ADA, while retail investors sold off thousands. At the same time, price action, market value ratios, and regulatory issues build pressure around ADA’s short-term movement.
Cardano whales holding between 100,000 and 100 million ADA increased their total holdings over the past two months. On-chain data confirms they added around 454.7 million ADA during this period, which is worth approximately $161 million. These purchases occurred during a time of price uncertainty.
Meanwhile, wallets holding under 100 ADA dropped nearly 22,000 tokens in just one week, reducing their exposure quickly. This shift suggests an ongoing separation between large and small investors reacting differently to market pressure. Historically, such activity has followed periods of price correction.
Santiment reported that whale accumulation may point to lower downside risk in current conditions.
A quote from their post stated, “Large holders often accumulate during market dips, creating potential setups for price recovery once stability returns.”
These actions come while Cardano remains 88% below its all-time high.
Cardano's smart money wallets have been quietly accumulating while the token's price is suppressed.
In 2 months, wallets with 100K-100M coins have added 454.7M $ADA (+$161,420,000)
In 3 weeks, wallets with 100 or less coins have dumped 22.0K $ADA (-$7,810) pic.twitter.com/P03zqKrKES
— Santiment (@santimentfeed) January 26, 2026
ADA’s price dropped 19% in the last 60 days but has gained 6% year-to-date, showing some recovery. In the past 24 hours, ADA saw a 4% increase, reaching a trading price of $0.35. This movement comes after weeks of selling pressure and uncertainty.
Cardano’s 30-day Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV) ratio currently stands at minus 7.9 percent, suggesting unrealized losses. According to Santiment, “Negative MVRV indicates many holders are under water, reducing the probability of further sell pressure.” This metric is being monitored by traders evaluating short-term risk.
Comparing across the market, Ether’s 30-day MVRV is minus 7.6%, Chainlink’s is minus 9.5%, and XRP’s is minus 5.7 percent. Bitcoin holds a softer reading of minus 3.7%. These numbers suggest that several altcoins are experiencing similar phases of holder loss.
Cardano faces uncertainty tied to U.S. regulatory policy as political narratives develop under the new administration. Charles Hoskinson commented, “The crypto industry is in a weaker position now than it was before,” referencing recent policy shifts. He criticized both the Trump Coin launch and bipartisan gridlock.
Despite that, institutional interest in Cardano continues to grow through futures expansion. CME Group plans to list ADA futures on February 9, pending regulatory approval. The exchange also announced upcoming futures for Chainlink and Stellar.
Futures contracts will include standard and micro units, offering different exposure levels to traders. For Cardano, contract sizes will range from 10,000 to 100,000 ADA. These futures will be regulated under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s oversight.
The post Cardano Whales Accumulate 454M ADA as Small Holders Exit Rapidly appeared first on CoinCentral.
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