Cardano Price News: Whale buying returns, Leios test.com pulls ADA back to its watch list

Cardano is back on traders 'watch lists for more than just price movements. The more important story lies in the combination of network upgrades, whale holdings and an approaching regulatory date.

ADA prices are still well below their 2025 highs, but the market is watching whether the next phase of the Cardano roadmap can ultimately change its narrative. That's why the discussion around the ADA feels very different than it did a few months ago.

Cardano Leios test network is becoming a key catalyst

Input Output Global has confirmed that it will launch the Leios test network in June 2026. This is an ambitious goal that will bring 10-to 65-fold performance improvements and is expected to achieve more than 1000 TPS by the end of 2026.

Leios testnet will be launched in June. The work, built on years of research and hundreds of simulations, marks a shift from theory to delivery. Leios aims to increase throughput by 10 to 65 times and move Cardano towards 1000+ TPS, with the main network scheduled to be launched before the end of 2026.

What is most striking is that Leios is no longer seen as a distant research idea. Input Output said that the upgrade was based on years of research and hundreds of simulations, and the June testnet was the stage when the project moved from theory to actual testing.

This is important for ADA pricing, as scalability has been one of the areas where Cardano has received the most criticism. If the testnet shows good results, developers will get a clearer signal that the network can support high levels of transaction volume and applications. In addition, Cardano has committed to allocating $71 million from its treasury for ecosystem development.

ADA whale holdings send a stronger signal

On-chain data has become another major topic. Analyst Ali Martinez cited Sanitation data as saying that whales increased their holdings of more than 240 million ADA units in five days, and this increase was accompanied by a rebound in ADA prices of about 22%.

The chart below shows how whale holdings increased from 14.07 billion ADA to 14.55 billion ADA, and then fell back to approximately 14.31 billion ADA. The key point is that these tokens are held rather than sold in the market.

This does not guarantee a breakthrough, but it does tell me that large holders are increasing exposure around current prices, not decreasing it. The ADA ecosystem still has weaknesses.

The situation is not entirely bullish. Cardano's DeFi activity remained weak, with total lockings of approximately $94 million, down approximately 87% from previous peaks.

News of the cancellation of the 2026 Singapore Summit came that the Cardano Foundation's proposal to fund the summit failed to meet the two-thirds approval threshold of DRep.

According to CryptoNews, the Cardano Foundation's proposal to fund the 2026 Singapore Summit failed to receive two-thirds of the necessary approvals from DRep. This may have an indirect impact on Leios, but it will not change Leios itself.

What the ADA chart shows

We looked at the ADA chart and the recent rebound has become more difficult to ignore. It is also worth noting that this rebound occurred against the backdrop of a long correction from the $1.00 level in late 2024 and early 2025.

The kinetic energy situation has improved significantly. The daily RSI is around 65, which tells me that buyers have entered with some confidence, and the chart has flashed bullish divergences in July before this rally began. The ultimate oscillator is just above 50, so the trend looks constructive and does not appear to be extremely overbought.

The next key level to focus on is US$0.19 -0.20. If bulls can break through this area, market attention will turn to US$0.21 -0.22, which is the first important resistance area.

On the downside, US$0.17 has become the key support. As long as ADA prices remain above the region, the current rally will remain in effect. Falling below $0.17 will make me more cautious.

What might drive ADA prices?

The next date traders are looking at is August 9, 2026. At that time, the ADA will be eligible to review under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's updated spot ETF framework after six months of regulated CME futures trading.

For August, ADA prices are still in a cautious recovery stage. If buyers continue to hold on to the near-term support area, it is reasonable to move towards the $0.20 -0.22 area. A stronger breakthrough may require both aggressive ETF progress and convincing progress from the Leios testnet.

The fundamentals are that the ADA will consolidate in the coming weeks while the market waits for more conclusive evidence that its expansion roadmap is being translated into practical applications. The whale increase and Leios timeline have undoubtedly improved the discussion around Cardano, but the chart still needs confirmation before the broader trend reversal is taken seriously.

FAQs

Is Cardano's DeFi ecosystem recovering? It has not yet recovered in a meaningful way. The article pointed out that Cardano's total DeFi lockings are still about US$94 million, down about 87% from the previous peak.

What is the Cardano Leios Test Network? Leios Test Network is Cardano's upcoming extended test environment. Input Output said its goal is to achieve a 10-to 65-fold increase in throughput and aims to enable the network to reach more than 1000 transactions per second before the launch of the main network at the end of 2026.

How many ADAs have whales purchased recently? The online data quoted in the article showed that whales increased their holdings of more than 240 million ADAs in five days, and whale holdings briefly increased from approximately 14.07 billion ADAs to approximately 14.55 billion ADAs.