With the Cardano crisis continuing, can ADA prices still rank among the top ten cryptocurrencies?

Cardano faces multiple challenges. Can ADA prices return to the top ten?

Cardano has been known for its safety, research and rigorous development over the years. Today, this reputation is facing its most severe test as ecological projects are closed, governance disputes and safety issues occur frequently. These challenges also raise an important question for those who pay attention to ADA prices: Can Cardano return to the top ten in the market capitalisation of cryptocurrencies?

This issue has become increasingly interesting because some analysts believe the situation could completely change in the coming months. New network upgrades, new product launches, and the possibility of a U.S. spot ADA ETF may bring new opportunities to Cardano. Whether these catalysts work depends on how quickly the network solves current problems.

The Cardano ecosystem faces multiple challenges at the same time

Cardano will be under pressure from multiple directions in 2026. Taken individually, each issue is not enough to define the entire network, but taken together, they depict an ecosystem that is trying to regain its roots.

Several well-known Cardano projects have been closed. TapTools, one of the most widely used analytics platforms in the ecosystem, was shut down due to rising operating costs and employee departures. JPG.store, the largest NFT market based on Cardano, also ceased operations due to difficulties in maintaining financial sustainability.

Cardano's decentralized financial ecosystem is still relatively small compared to other blockchains. Stabiloin liquidity remained at approximately US$59 million, indicating limited funds flowing through the Cardano DeFi application.

Governance issues also pose challenges. Cardano entered the Voltaire era with the goal of handing over financial decisions to community elected entrusted representatives (DReps). This decentralized model has faced its biggest test recently: funding for Cardano's 2026 summit was not approved, leading to the cancellation of the flagship event.

Disagreements have also emerged on research funding. Some community members want to reallocate financial funds to projects with immediate commercial value. Developers believe that reducing research investment could undermine Cardano's long-term engineering advantages.

Speed has also become the focus of discussion. Critics point out that Cardano's lengthy governance discussions contrast with competitors 'constant speed in announcing new partnerships. Solana's recent corporate partnerships in Japan are often compared.

Security issues brought new pressure in June. SecondFi (formerly Yoroi Wallet) suffered a major attack when attackers obtained the private key and reportedly stole approximately 16 million ADAs from hundreds of wallets. Wallet synchronization issues before the incident added more uncertainty.

In addition, Cardano experienced a temporary chain split late last year due to a wrong commission transaction. Developers resolved the problem within hours, but exchanges such as Coinbase and Kraken temporarily suspended ADA deposit and withdrawal operations for safety reasons.

Analysts believe there is still a path for ADA prices to return to the top 10

Despite these setbacks, Crypto Dossier believes Cardano still has a chance to return to the top 10 in cryptocurrency market capitalisation before the end of the year.

Analysts explained that Cardano currently hovers between 13th and 16th because market values near these rankings are very close. However, entering the top 10 requires a bigger leap.

Crypto Dossier estimates that Cardano currently has a market value of approximately US$6 billion, while the tenth-ranked cryptocurrency has a market value of approximately US$11 billion. In this case, if the rest of the market remains basically unchanged, ADA prices need to increase by about 90%.

Analysts pointed out that Cardano has recently risen by about 30% to 35% during relatively stable periods in the broader crypto market. This performance suggests that ADA can sometimes perform strongly independently of Bitcoin and the broader altcoin market.

Crypto Dossier believes that the launch of the RealFi test network played an important role in this trend. RealFi has been part of Cardano's vision for years to expand financial services into areas where banking services are limited. Previous cooperation in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya has supported this goal. Analysts believe that after years of development, workable RealFi products have brought tangible results to investors.

Upcoming upgrades may address long-standing weaknesses

Crypto Dossier believes Cardano's biggest opportunity comes from upgrades planned later this year.

Leios is one of the most watched developments. Analysts said Leios could increase Cardano's throughput by about 65 times and could process transactions to 1000 transactions per second. Transaction speed has always been one of Cardano's biggest limitations as it competes with faster tier-1 networks.

Van Rossum is another important upgrade. Crypto Dossier explained that Van Rossum aims to improve smart contract performance while reducing execution costs. Faster, cheaper smart contracts may make Cardano more attractive to decentralized application developers.

RealFi is also expected to migrate from the test network to the main network later this year. These improvements may begin to address several issues Cardano has faced over the years, including slow transaction processing, high operating costs and limited decentralized application development.

Spot ADA ETFs may become another important catalyst

Crypto Dossier also pointed out that there may be another catalyst outside the network.

Analysts predict that the possibility of a U.S. spot ADA ETF could spark additional interest before trading in any investment product begins. Previous announcements of cryptocurrency ETFs often affected prices before listing, as investors expected future demand.

Crypto Dossier believes that the simultaneous emergence of multiple positive developments may strengthen Cardano's position. These include: the launch of Leios's main network, the full launch of RealFi, the launch of Van Rossum, and the approval of one or more U.S. spot ADA ETFs.

Analysts believe that if market conditions are favorable, the combined effect of these events may provide sufficient support for the ADA price challenge to the top ten rankings.

Cardano still needs stronger adoption rates to justify higher valuations

Crypto Dossier also believes that Cardano's future depends on more than just technology upgrades.

Analysts believe that Cardano received its current valuation because it fulfilled multiple promises made when blockchain was launched. Security, peer-reviewed development, formal verification and network reliability remain its most prominent features. These qualities have helped Cardano gain one of the most stable online reputations in the industry.

Commercial applications present a different picture. Many competitive first-tier blockchains currently process more transactions, support a larger DeFi ecosystem, attract more corporate activity, and provide lower operating costs.

Crypto Dossier believes that Cardano must close the gap before demonstrating a higher valuation. Business users often prioritize speed and low transaction costs when choosing blockchain infrastructure. Recent examples include institutional tokenization projects and corporate collaborations that have opted for faster competitive networks.

Analysts believe that Cardano's upgrade is designed to remove these limitations without sacrificing the security and resilience built over the years. If adoption rates grow as technology improves, this combination could ultimately give Cardano an advantage.