Cardano has had one of its strongest weeks in months. BSCN news reported that the ADA price rose approximately 20% within the last seven days to become among the top performing large-cap cryptocurrencies within the period. Cardano moved from 6% to 9% in the last 24 hours, far exceeding the overall crypto market that has gained 1.3%.
There is more behind the rally than market momentum alone. Investors are watching a series of major developments, including the RealFi Phase 1 Testnet launching on July 6, continued work on the Leios scaling upgrade, and fresh comments from Charles Hoskinson about what separates successful blockchain projects from the rest.
Cardano just surged +20% in the past week.@Cardano's $ADA token has outperformed all other blue chip crypto assets over the past week, with a +20% 7-day price surge.
— BSCN (@BSCNews) July 4, 2026
It is also up +6% in the past day but recent gains have not been enough to offset longer-term losses, $ADA now… pic.twitter.com/PshdeRJVRe
What you'll learn 👉
The ADA Price Is Getting Help From RealFi and Leios
Trader MBYouKnow shared that Cardano’s next development phase is approaching quickly. The RealFi Phase 1 Testnet goes live on July 6, introducing blockchain-powered financial services designed to connect decentralized finance with real-world economic activity.
Hoskinson has described RealFi as one of the biggest milestones in Cardano’s roadmap because it focuses on putting stablecoin liquidity to work beyond traditional DeFi applications.
Cardano's next evolution is already in motion.@realfi_co enters Phase 1 Testnet on July 6, bringing blockchain-powered financial services one step closer to real-world adoption.
— MB👊 (@Mb_you_know) July 4, 2026
At the same time, Leios is pushing ahead with scaling tests in preparation for its planned November… pic.twitter.com/PFbsI9yri4
Leios is also moving forward. The scaling fix also proceeds with further testing prior to its scheduled hard fork in November 2026, with the aim being to increase transaction throughput without sacrificing decentralization.
Along with the aforementioned improvements, the Protocol V11 (Van Rossem) is getting closer to implementation, as some of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase are already preparing for the protocol upgrade.
Charles Hoskinson Points to Ripple’s Execution
Hoskinson also made headlines after speaking positively about Ripple during an interview with David Gokhshtein shared by TheCryptoBasic. He praised Ripple’s ability to continue launching products despite years of criticism. Among the examples he mentioned were the launch of RLUSD in December 2024, Ripple’s reported $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Road, and the company’s network of banking partnerships.
#Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has acknowledged #Ripple’s ability to consistently execute its strategy despite enduring years of criticism from across the cryptocurrency industry.
— TheCryptoBasic (@thecryptobasic) July 4, 2026
Speaking on The Breakdown podcast with host David Gokhshtein, Hoskinson noted that Ripple has…
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has also said the company now processes roughly $16 trillion in annual payments and clearing activity across its businesses. Hoskinson’s main takeaway was simple: projects survive by continuing to build. That same mindset continues guiding Cardano as development pushes forward across RealFi, Midnight, Bitcoin DeFi, and Leios.
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Can the ADA Price Keep Moving Higher?
The technical picture has improved, but buyers still have work to do. The ADA price is trading around $0.196 following the current week’s surge. Even following the recent rise in value, the coin is still trading 69% lower than the value it was trading at one year ago.
The most significant level of support can still be found at $0.16, which continues to be regarded by many traders as an accumulation zone. As long as buyers defend that level, the current recovery remains intact.
The next resistance is near $0.20. Clearing that area could open the path toward $0.25, especially if the July 6 catalyst brings another wave of buying. The upcoming RealFi launch is becoming the market’s main focus.
Cardano now has several major upgrades progressing at the same time, something investors have wanted to see for years. If the RealFi Testnet launches smoothly and network activity begins increasing, confidence around the ecosystem could improve further.
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