Should You Buy Cardano in 2025?

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At HelloSafe, our expert has been monitoring the development of Cardano cryptocurrency for over three years. Every month, hundreds of thousands of users in the UK trust us to analyse market trends and identify the best investment opportunities. Our analyses are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice. In line with our ethical guidelines, HelloSafe has never purchased Cardano nor received remuneration from any entities connected to its ecosystem.

Cardano in brief

How much does 1 Cardano cost?

The price of Cardano is up this week. At £0.52 today, ADA is showing a 3.8% increase over the past 24 hours and a slight gain of 0.3% across the week. Its current market capitalisation stands at around £18.56 billion, with an average daily trading volume of approximately £427 million over the last three months.

Like many digital assets, Cardano’s price remains volatile, offering both risks and opportunities for UK investors seeking exposure to innovative blockchain technologies.

Our comprehensive review of the Cardano cryptocurrency

Have Cardano’s latest trends, technical signals, and competitive positioning quietly set the stage for an explosive move? Our recent deep-dive, merging on-chain data, technical momentum, and macro sectoral dynamics through proprietary algorithms, provides a detailed perspective on ADA’s evolving place within the Layer 1 blockchain ecosystem. So, why could Cardano re-emerge in 2025 as a strategic entry point at the forefront of next-generation decentralised platforms?

Recent Performance and Market Context

Price Evolution

Cardano (ADA) has shown a dynamic performance trajectory over the past three years, with price momentum shifting in response to market cycles and internal network development milestones. As of June 7, 2025, ADA trades at $0.66, up 44.1% year-on-year despite periods of marked volatility and sectoral correction. Recent price action reflects ongoing consolidation after ADA retraced from earlier local highs, yet the digital asset continues to demonstrate resilience relative to broader risk assets.

Positive Market Events

• Plomin Hard Fork: In January 2025, the mainnet activation of on-chain governance introduced a new era of decentralised protocol upgrades, reinforcing Cardano’s status as a true “community coin”.
• Brave Wallet Integration: ADA’s compatibility with Brave Wallet’s 86 million users has materially widened retail exposure and accessibility.
• Franklin Templeton Partnership: This headline institutional partnership strengthens Cardano's investment case for larger capital pools, accelerating its on-ramp to mainstream finance.
• 84% bullish sentiment among community members consistently outpaces many peer assets, according to current survey data.

Macro and Sectoral Trends

The crypto sector has rebounded on the back of more accommodative global monetary policies and a constructive regulatory narrative in the UK and across Europe, supporting digital asset demand. DeFi, NFT, and tokenisation themes remain robust tailwinds for structurally differentiated blockchains like Cardano, which offer both scalability and environmental sustainability. With an expanding real-world application focus—particularly in Africa, Europe, and LatAm—Cardano’s network effects are poised to strengthen further, especially as multi-chain interoperability increases in importance.

Technical Analysis

Key Crypto Indicators

• RSI (14D): 39.47—neutral, suggesting limited overbought pressure and potential for upside resets.
• MACD: At -0.0229, the oscillator confirms the recent cooler phase, but this setup historically marks the late stage of corrective periods for ADA.
• Moving Averages: ADA currently sits below its 20, 50, 100, and 200-day moving averages ($0.7177, $0.7198, $0.7136, $0.8257), a configuration often observed near capitulation or base-building zones.
• Support: $0.63 is a robust, repeatedly tested price floor; breach probabilities remain low barring systemic market upheaval.
• Resistance: $0.74 is the primary breakout threshold; recapture above this would reinforce technical buying and attract higher timeframe momentum.

Short- and Medium-Term Structure

• Momentum base forming around the $0.63-$0.66 zone, supported by elevated volume clusters and growing trading interest.
• Reversal potential building: The persistent bullish sentiment, ongoing integrations, and on-chain accumulation increase the probability of an imminent trend reversal.
• Volatility contraction: Precedents suggest that such tight ranges in ADA are generally followed by forceful directional expansion, with a pronounced move likely in the next quarter given macro and protocol catalysts.

Fundamental Analysis

Ecosystem Growth and Strategic Activity

• Network Adoption: ADA now boasts 1,985 active development projects, a figure eclipsed only by a handful of Layer 1 competitors and indicative of sustained developer engagement.
• DeFi TVL: Over $450 million in value is currently locked, with flagship Cardano DeFi dApps showing accelerating network usage.
• New Integrations: Integrations such as with Unreal Engine (for blockchain gaming) and privacy layer “Midnight” further widen Cardano’s addressable market.
• Geographic Reach: Deepening partnerships across Africa (ID solutions, financial inclusion), Europe (privacy and gaming), and emerging economies position Cardano at the centre of scalable, regulatory-compliant blockchain applications.

Attractive Relative Valuation

• Market Cap/FDV Ratio: At 0.8, ADA’s ratio suggests an undervalued status compared to its Layer 1 rivals, offering a clear potential catch-up trade.
• Volume and Liquidity: With a daily trading volume near $547 million, ADA’s order books remain deep and efficient, ensuring reliable entry/exit for larger positions and reflective of continued institutional interest.
• Top 10 Capitalisation: Cardano retains a solid position within the crypto market’s upper echelon, consolidating its network effect moat relative to other smart contract platforms.

Structural Strengths

• Proof-of-Stake Efficiency: The Ouroboros protocol decouples security from energy consumption, making Cardano especially appealing amidst growing environmental scrutiny of crypto mining.
• Peer-Reviewed Development: The academically rigorous, research-led development cycle underpins technological robustness and reduces vulnerability to codebase exploits or governance missteps.
• Governance Innovations: With more than 1,200 proposals voted on and a 99.5% DRep participation rate, Cardano’s on-chain governance is among the most participative and transparent in the sector.

Volume, Liquidity, and Market Dominance

• High daily transactional turnover ($547m) supports ADA’s status as a “blue chip” Layer 1 asset and reflects active participation from both retail and institutional segments.
• Liquidity depth gives tactical flexibility: Large size entries can be managed without adverse slippage, a key point for regulated funds and high net-worth individuals.
• Staking and Associated Yields: The accessible staking mechanism adds another layer of reward and stability for long-term token holders, increasing stickiness of capital and contributing to network resilience.

Catalysts and Positive Outlook

• Ouroboros Leios Upgrade (2026): Promises fundamentally greater scalability, potentially transforming Cardano into one of the fastest and most decentralised Layer 1s.
• Hydra Layer 2 Launch: High-throughput, low-latency processing will significantly lower costs and open up new real-world use cases.
• Cardinal Protocol: Bitcoin interoperability invites deep cross-chain liquidity and fosters broader DeFi composability.
• Potential ETF Approval: A Cardano spot ETF from the SEC would be a landmark, unlocking new institutional flows and setting a precedent for regulatory clarity in crypto.
• Expanding Enterprise Partnerships: Institutional advances with blue chips and public sector projects (notably in digital identity and tokenisation) underpin Cardano’s growing strategic relevance.

Investment Strategies (by Time Horizon)

Short-Term Entry

• Entry during local retests of the $0.63 support zone appears calculated, especially ahead of anticipated macro or protocol event-driven surges.
• Momentum play: Accumulation during relative technical weakness aligns with historical precedents for strong post-consolidation outperformance.

Medium-Term Positioning

• Catalyst stacking: The period leading up to the Ouroboros Leios upgrade and SEC ETF decisions represents fertile ground for re-rating as market narratives shift in Cardano’s favour.
• Layer 2 deployment phase: Strategic position-building ahead of Hydra’s full mainnet release is consistent with prior Layer 1 rally patterns.

Long-Term Value

• Buy-and-hold aligned with Cardano’s roadmap, progressive regulatory “de-risking”, and the increasing institutional recognition of its differentiated consensus design.
• Persistent rewards: Long-term holders capture both staking yield and network value appreciation as adoption and DeFi TVL expand.

Cardano Price Projections (2025–2029)

Is This the Right Time to Consider Cardano?

Cardano stands out as one of the most structurally sound and undervalued crypto assets in today’s marketplace, combining deep liquidity, unmatched governance, and a fast-rising ecosystem of real-world applications. Its clear technical supports, active developer community, and institutional partnerships anchor its long-term value proposition, while upcoming upgrades and regulatory advances could serve as accelerators for mass adoption.

The positive momentum in sector sentiment, coupled with Cardano’s robust fundamentals and well-sequenced roadmap, justify renewed attention at current levels. Its compelling relative valuation, clear use case orientation, and leadership in eco-efficient blockchain solutions position Cardano to potentially initiate a new bullish phase—a scenario further substantiated by our medium- and long-term projections.

For investors seeking exposure to a next-generation smart contract platform with multiple catalysts and a strong balance of risk and upside potential, Cardano appears to represent an excellent opportunity for capital deployment as we look ahead to a transformative cycle in digital assets.

How to buy Cardano?

It is simple and secure to buy Cardano (ADA) online via a regulated cryptocurrency platform in the UK. Investors typically choose between two main methods: spot purchase, which allows for direct ownership of ADA in a wallet, and trading Cardano through crypto CFDs (Contracts for Difference), which lets you speculate on ADA’s price without owning the actual coins. Each method has its pros and cons in terms of control, fees, and risk. To help you decide, you’ll find a detailed platform comparison further down this page.

Spot Purchase

When buying Cardano on the spot market, you acquire the real ADA coins, which are then stored safely in your wallet—either on the exchange itself or, for greater security, in a personal crypto wallet. Spot trading is straightforward and ideal for long-term investment and staking to earn rewards. Typical fees for spot purchase include a fixed commission per transaction, often around 0.75%–1.5% of the total trade, or a flat fee (for example, £5 per trade).

Example

Example: Suppose Cardano is priced at $0.66 USD (approximately £0.52) per ADA. With an investment of £1,000, you could buy around 1,923 ADA coins, after accounting for a £5 transaction fee.

Gain scenario

✔️ Gain scenario: If ADA's price rises by 10%, your holding is now valued at £1,100.
Result: A gross gain of £100, representing a 10% return on your investment.

Trading via CFD

Trading Cardano via CFD (Contract for Difference) means you do not actually own the ADA coins. Instead, you enter a contract speculating on ADA’s price movements, with the option to use leverage for amplified exposure. CFD trading typically charges a spread (the difference between buy and sell price), and if you keep your position open overnight, a funding fee applies.

Example

Example: You open a CFD position on ADA with £1,000 and a 5x leverage, giving you £5,000 market exposure. If ADA rises by 8%, your leveraged position results in a 40% gain (8% × 5).

Gain scenario

✔️ Gain scenario: With 5x leverage, an 8% price increase yields a £400 profit (excluding spreads and overnight fees) on your £1,000 initial stake.

Final advice

Before you invest, it's essential to compare the fees and terms across different trading platforms, as costs and features can vary substantially. The appropriate method will depend on your goals and experience: spot purchases suit those seeking real asset ownership and long-term holding, while CFDs are more suitable for advanced investors aiming to actively trade on price movements. For more information, check out our dedicated platform comparison lower on this page.

Our 7 tips for buying Cardano

The latest news about Cardano

Cardano maintains a resilient uptrend, with a year-on-year performance of +44% and strong institutional interest. Over the past 12 months, ADA has registered a notable price appreciation of over 44%, driven largely by increasing ecosystem activity and strategic partnerships. One of the most impactful developments for UK-based analysts is the recently announced partnership with global asset manager Franklin Templeton, which has confirmed active institutional interest in Cardano’s ecosystem. This alliance signals growing confidence from traditional finance actors, a significant confidence booster for regulated UK investors seeking exposure through secure, recognised vehicles.

Integration with Brave Wallet opens Cardano to 86 million global users, including a robust UK user base. Within the past week, ADA’s availability via Brave Wallet became a catalyst for newfound accessibility and adoption. Brave, with a strong user community in the UK, provides seamless ADA storage and utility through a privacy-oriented platform. This operational expansion is especially pertinent for British users, as it aligns with the region’s high standards regarding security and privacy in digital asset management and can drive wider local participation in the Cardano network.

Cardano’s on-chain governance upgrades continue to position it favourably for regulatory clarity in the UK market. The successful activation of Cardano’s on-chain governance via the Plomin hard fork earlier this year has set the stage for transparent, community-driven oversight—a quality increasingly sought within the UK’s maturing crypto regulatory framework. Active participation in governance, with almost full engagement in recent votes, reinforces ADA’s image as a blockchain network committed to transparency and accountability, themes that resonate with both regulators and institutional stakeholders in the UK.

The UK’s crypto regulation and staking-friendly framework position Cardano as a strategic asset for local investors. The UK government’s evolving digital assets policy recognises staking as a regulated, legitimate investment activity. Since Cardano natively supports staking with clear reward structures, British holders can benefit from compliance clarity while earning on their assets—an increasingly attractive proposition as local banks and wealth managers begin to explore crypto product offerings that align with FCA guidelines.

Market sentiment around Cardano remains bullish, with a strong retail and institutional backing in the UK and globally. Recent sentiment indicators reveal over 86% bullishness across Cardano’s engaged communities, reinforced by steady growth in Total Value Locked (TVL) and active project development on the blockchain. This optimism is echoed by local UK retail audiences and institutional market participants, who note Cardano’s continued technical innovation (such as ongoing work on Hydra for Layer 2 scaling) and strong governance as constructive long-term fundamentals within the crypto sector.

FAQ

P. Laurore

Finance expert

Co-founder of HelloSafe and holder of a Master's degree in finance, Pauline has recognised expertise in personal finance, which she uses to help users better understand and optimise their financial choices. At HelloSafe, Pauline plays a key role in designing clear, educational content on savings, investments and personal finance. Passionate about financial education, Pauline strives, with every piece of content she oversees, to provide reliable, transparent and unbiased information for independent and informed financial management. To this end, she has tested over 100 trading platforms to help internet users make the right choices.