Hot Tokens Learning Week 8: ADA's Ouroboros Leios Mainnet Expected to Launch in 2026

Summary

ADA's Ouroboros Leios mainnet is expected to launch in 2026, and the hard fork to Protocol Version 11 is planned for Q1 2026.

The Dogecoin network is showing signs of renewed activity, but the price remains under pressure amid overall weak market sentiment.

The community division reflects Tron's transition: despite strong backing from fundamentals, a market rebound and tangible results are still needed to unify perspectives.

Community views around $TRUMP are highly divided: supporters see it as a meme coin that leads the cycle, symbolizing a vibe shift and a long-term bull market. By contrast, critics criticize its predatory structure, corruption, and damage to the credibility of crypto.

"我踏马来了" (Wo Ta Ma Lai Le) is a Chinese meme crypto project based on BNB Smart Chain (BSC).

ADA

Project Overview

ADA is the native token of the Cardano blockchain platform. Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain platform developed through peer-reviewed research and evidence-based methods. It combines pioneering technologies to provide unparalleled security and sustainability to decentralized applications (dApps), systems, and societies. Cardano exists to redistribute power from unaccountable structures to individuals and be an enabling force for positive change and progress.

Ecosystem Strengths

Ouroboros Leios Activation: Cardano activates Ouroboros Leios through its on-chain governance mechanism. Ouroboros Leios aims to enable unlimited scalability and support parallel block processing. This will significantly increase transaction throughput and integrate Midnight privacy features, thereby advancing privacy-focused DeFi and compliant data applications. The mainnet is expected to launch in 2026.

Protocol Version 11 Hard Fork: Planned for Q1 2026, the upgrade focuses on optimizing Plutus performance and introducing new cryptographic features. This upgrade is expected to be less disruptive.

Hydra Scaling: Off-chain transaction processing is expected to enable near-instant settlement and ultra-low fees, supporting the growth of dApps.

ETF Applications: Volatility Shares has filed applications for both spot and leveraged Cardano ETFs, drawing institutional interest.

On-chain Data

According to the latest data as of February 9, 2026, the Cardano network sends mixed signals: The price remains under pressure, but signs of a rebound have emerged. On-chain activity is stable, though transaction volume has declined. Meanwhile, large whale activity indicates accumulation.

These indicators suggest that the Cardano network maintains a certain level of activity despite weak price performance. Whale accumulation could support a rebound, but the sharp drop in OI and declining market cap point to short-term risks. Overall, on-chain activity remains subject to broader market sentiment.

Community Views

According to CoinMarketCap data, 86.6% of the community is bullish on ADA, ranking it seventh overall. However, the Fear and Greed Index stands at Extreme Fear (7), reflecting the impact of market volatility. Discussions on Reddit and X show some users describe ADA as the "crypto for ordinary people", emphasizing its decentralization and zero-downtime track record, while others label it a "zombie crypto" or a "ghost town".

Positive views are primarily based on Cardano's long-term potential, institutional interest, and ecosystem upgrades. For example, Hydra may achieve over 1 million TPS, Midnight will introduce privacy-focused DeFi, USDCx and Bitcoin bridging will enhance liquidity, and whale accumulation will continue.

Negative views center on the lack of real-world adoption and internal issues. Some people argue that Cardano has failed to deliver on its promises, leading to declining metrics and persistent price pressure.

DOGE

Project Overview

Dogecoin ($DOGE) is a peer-to-peer digital currency created in 2013 by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, inspired by the Shiba Inu meme. Rooted in a strong community culture, it has gained recognition for charity-driven initiatives and micro-payments. Through its associations with brands like Tesla and SpaceX, DOGE has developed a distinctive mix of meme culture and real-world payment utility. DOGE uses an inflationary model with an unlimited supply, minting roughly 5 billion new coins each year. It relies on the Scrypt algorithm for its Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus, enabling low-barrier mining while helping maintain liquidity through predictable inflation.

On-chain Data

According to the latest data from early February 2026, the Dogecoin network is showing signs of renewed activity, but the price remains under pressure amid overall weak market sentiment. Active addresses have surged by 36%, while TVL and transaction volume have declined. Whale activity indicates both accumulation and ongoing selling pressure.

Community Views

The Dogecoin community is divided at the beginning of 2026: While optimists stress organic growth and the potential for a rebound, critics are concerned about its long-term value and the negative sentiment surrounding it. Based on data from X and Reddit, the overall sentiment is mixed. There were 8.4K positive mentions (January), yet over 80% of comments in relevant subreddits were negative. Social dominance increased by 160% (daily), and engagement rose 33% (weekly). However, amid a bullish crowd sentiment, smart money sentiment remains bearish.

TRX

Project Overview

TRON (TRX) is a decentralized blockchain platform founded by Justin Sun in 2017, designed to build the infrastructure for a “decentralized internet”. Currently, TRON has become a dominant network for stablecoin transfers, capturing a significant share of the global stablecoin market. Its ecosystem primarily focuses on DeFi, dApps, NFTs, and cross-chain interoperability.

On-chain Data

According to the latest data from early February 2026 (as of February 9), the Tron network remains highly active, though the price is under pressure around the $0.28 level. Stablecoins are driving the increase in transaction volume, but TVL has dipped slightly. On the whole, Tron maintains its dominance in stablecoin transfers and continues to support network usage, demonstrating strong performance.

Community Views

Community views surrounding Tron (TRX) are divided: Optimists emphasize stablecoin dominance, institutional accumulation, and long-term potential, forecasting a rebound to $0.32–$0.40 or even higher. Pessimists focus on short-term price pressure, market volatility, and relative underperformance compared to other chains. Overall sentiment is mildly bullish (social sentiment score 4.83/10), but the community division reflects Tron's transition: despite strong backing from fundamentals, a market rebound and tangible results are still needed to unify perspectives.

TRUMP

Project Overview

$TRUMP (the official Trump memecoin) is a meme coin built on the Solana blockchain. It was launched by U.S. President Donald Trump on January 17, 2025, just three days before his inauguration. Announced via X (formerly Twitter) and Truth Social, the token was promoted as a digital asset embodying community values and a "winning" spirit. Of the total supply of 1 billion tokens, 80% (800 million tokens) are held by Trump-affiliated entities (such as CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC), while the remaining 20% was allocated to the public through an initial coin offering (ICO).

Community Views

At the beginning of 2026, community views around $TRUMP are highly divided: supporters see it as a meme coin that leads the cycle, symbolizing a vibe shift and a long-term bull market. By contrast, critics criticize its predatory structure, corruption, and damage to the credibility of crypto. Discussions on X show that positive sentiment centers on onboarding new users and boosting the Solana ecosystem, while negative sentiment focuses on risks to retail investors and concerns about VC-style dumping.

我踏马来了

Project Overview

"我踏马来了" (Wo Ta Ma Lai Le) is a Chinese meme crypto project based on BNB Smart Chain (BSC) that launched on January 7, 2026. The project name is a homophonic variation of the Chinese internet slang phrase "我他妈来了" (meaning I'm here, damn it!), reflecting strong characteristics of Chinese online culture and cathartic release, and symbolizing investors' determination and momentum in returning to the market after a bear cycle. As a representative of the Chinese meme coin boom in early 2026, this crypto surged more than 400% within 24 hours of launch, becoming the latest breakout trend on BSC.