Cardano’s Big Rally In Sight? ADA’s Interest Sees Subtle Shift As Smart Money Accumulates

bitcoinistPublished on 2026-01-27Last updated on 2026-01-27

Abstract

Cardano (ADA) is showing a divergence between its current price action and strong accumulation by large-scale investors, according to on-chain data from Santiment. Despite recent price volatility and suppression, smart money wallets (holding 100,000 to 100 million ADA) have been steadily accumulating ADA over the past two months, adding 454.7 million tokens worth over $161 million. In contrast, smaller retail investors have been selling. This pattern historically suggests favorable conditions for a potential price resurgence. Additionally, the Cardano network has achieved a new milestone with over 118.4 million total transactions, indicating growing adoption and ecosystem activity. At the time of writing, ADA is trading at $0.35, up 0.77% in 24 hours, though trading volume has declined significantly.

Cardano’s price and the sentiment of investors are demonstrating a divergence that is crucial in the altcoin’s short-term and long-term performance. Despite the waning price action over the past few days, seasoned investors are showing robust interest in ADA as they continue accumulate the altcoin.

Big Brains Are Buying Back Cardano

Even with heightened volatility in the market, major Cardano investors are jumping into the market at a steady pace. Santiment, a leading market intelligence and on-chain data platform, reported that smart money seems to be quietly positioning itself in Cardano, with seasoned investors building up ADA at a steady and encouraging rate.

In the research shared on the X platform, the platform highlighted that the smart money wallet addresses have been accumulating ADA while the token’s price is being suppressed due to the current market state. Interestingly, these individuals are gradually increasing their exposure during times of muted emotion and low volatility rather than chasing short-term price movements.

Typically, such buying activity among smart traders signals conviction in the token’s long-term prospects since smart capital often moves ahead of the general market’s enthusiasm. With the ongoing bullish sentiment from key investors, there is a possibility that the underlying market structure of Cardano is getting stronger.

Smart money is buying ADA non-stop | Source: Chart from Santiment on X

The cohort appears to have been quietly buying more ADA for several weeks. However, smaller holders, who are also regarded as retail investors, have been offloading their stash during this period. In the last 2 months, wallet addresses holding between 100,000 ADA and 100 million ADA have acquired an additional 454.7 million ADA, which is valued at more than $161.42 million.

Meanwhile, retail investors, those holding 100 ADA or less, have dumped over 22,000 ADA, worth $7,810 over the past 3 weeks. When cryptocurrency markets start to stabilize, Santiment stated that whales adding and retail dumping have traditionally created the ideal conditions for an eventual resurgence.

A New Landmark In Terms Of Total Transactions

Despite ADA facing steady volatility that has capped its upward attempts, the Cardano network continues to wax strong. The leading network is experiencing significant adoption and interest as transactions carried out on the blockchain have increased exponentially.

Cexplorer, the most featured OG blockchain, announced that the network recently hit a new record level in total transactions. Data shared by Cexplorer shows that the total transactions conducted on the network since its foray into the cryptocurrency market have surpassed 118,400,000.

With more value and interactions resting on the network than ever before, the growth indicates a growing appetite for Cardano and its broader ecosystem. Furthermore, rising transaction counts frequently indicate ongoing demand from users, apps, and developers as opposed to transient increases caused by speculation.

At the time of writing, the ADA’s price was trading at $0.35, indicating a 0.77% increase in the last 24 hours. Its price may be slowly turning bullish, but trading volume has sharply declined by more than 28% over the past day.

ADA trading at $0.35 on the 1D chart | Source: ADAUSDT on Tradingview.com

Related Questions

QWhat divergence is being observed in Cardano's market according to the article?

AThe article notes a divergence between Cardano's price action and investor sentiment, where despite a recent price decline, seasoned investors (smart money) are showing robust interest and accumulating ADA.

QWhich data platform reported that smart money is accumulating Cardano?

ASantiment, a leading market intelligence and on-chain data platform, reported that smart money is quietly positioning itself in Cardano.

QHow much ADA have large wallet addresses (100,000 to 100 million ADA) accumulated in the last two months?

ALarge wallet addresses have acquired an additional 454.7 million ADA, valued at over $161.42 million, in the last two months.

QWhat new milestone did the Cardano network recently achieve in terms of transactions?

AThe Cardano network recently surpassed 118,400,000 total transactions, setting a new record.

QWhat was the price of ADA and its 24-hour trading volume change at the time of writing?

AAt the time of writing, ADA's price was $0.35, indicating a 0.77% increase in the last 24 hours, while its trading volume had declined by over 28%.

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