Cardano whales boost holdings as ADA price slides

Large holders of the Cardano cryptocurrency have significantly increased their stake to a multi-year high, even as the token's price remains under pressure and smaller investors reduce their exposure. Data from analytics firm Santiment shows that wallets holding between 100,000 and 100 million ADA now collectively own more than 25.6 billion coins, the highest balance since February 2023. This accumulation by major stakeholders, often referred to as whales and sharks, has occurred over recent months and accelerated since early July, with one cohort adding 320 million tokens starting July 7.

This trend stands in stark contrast to the actions of retail participants. Wallets holding fewer than 100 ADA have reduced their holdings by about 0.7% over the past four months, highlighting a divergence in confidence. The accumulation by large holders has developed as ADA trades near multi-year lows, with its price performance in 2026 falling short of expectations. As of July 14, ADA was trading around $0.158, reflecting a weekly decline of over 11% and remaining well below the crucial $0.20 resistance level. The token recently pulled back after a brief upside push toward $0.20 proved futile.