Cardano has spent years building a reputation around security, research, and careful development. That reputation now faces one of its toughest tests as the ecosystem deals with project closures, governance disputes, and security concerns. Those challenges have raised an important question for anyone following ADA price. Can Cardano still fight its way back into the top 10 cryptocurrencies?
That question has become even more interesting because some analysts believe the next few months could completely change the conversation. Fresh network upgrades, new products, and the possibility of a US spot ADA ETF could give Cardano another chance. Whether those catalysts are enough depends on how quickly the network solves the problems holding it back today.
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Cardano Ecosystem Faces Several Challenges at the Same Time
Cardano has faced pressure from several directions throughout 2026. None of these issues alone defines the network, although together they paint a picture of an ecosystem trying to regain its footing.
Several well known Cardano projects have already shut their doors. TapTools, one of the ecosystem’s most widely used analytics platforms, closed after citing rising operating costs and staff departures. JPG.store, the largest NFT marketplace built on Cardano, also ended operations after struggling to remain financially sustainable.
Cardano’s decentralized finance ecosystem has also remained relatively small compared with competing blockchains. Stablecoin liquidity has stayed close to $59 million, which points to limited capital moving through Cardano based DeFi applications.
Governance has created another challenge. Cardano entered its Voltaire era with the goal of giving treasury decisions to community elected Delegated Representatives, commonly known as DReps. That decentralized model recently faced its biggest test when funding for Cardano Summit 2026 failed to receive approval. The result was the cancellation of one of the network’s flagship events.
Disagreements have also emerged over research spending. Some community members want treasury funds redirected toward projects with immediate commercial value. Developers argue that reducing research investment could weaken Cardano’s engineering advantage over time.
Speed has become another talking point. Critics point to Cardano’s lengthy governance discussions when comparing it with competitors that continue announcing new partnerships more quickly. Solana’s recent enterprise partnership in Japan has often appeared in those comparisons.
Security concerns added fresh pressure during June. SecondFi, formerly known as Yoroi Wallet, suffered a major breach after attackers obtained private keys and reportedly stole around 16 million ADA from hundreds of wallets. Wallet synchronization problems before the incident added more uncertainty.
Cardano also dealt with a temporary chain split late last year after a faulty delegation transaction. Developers resolved the issue within hours, although exchanges including Coinbase and Kraken temporarily paused ADA deposits and withdrawals as a precaution.
Crypto Dossier Believes ADA Price Still Has a Route Back Into the Top 10
Despite those setbacks, Crypto Dossier believes Cardano still has a realistic opportunity to return to the top 10 cryptocurrencies before the end of the year.
The analyst explains that Cardano currently moves between positions 13 and 16 because the market capitalizations around those rankings remain very close. Breaking into the top 10, however, requires a much larger jump.
Crypto Dossier estimates Cardano currently holds a market capitalization of roughly $6 billion, compared with about $11 billion for the cryptocurrency holding the tenth position. Under that scenario, ADA price would need roughly a 90% increase if the rest of the market remained largely unchanged.
The analyst notes that Cardano recently climbed about 30% to 35% during a period when much of the broader crypto market remained relatively flat. That performance showed ADA can sometimes outperform independently of Bitcoin and the wider altcoin market.
Crypto Dossier believes the launch of the RealFi testnet played a major role in that move.
RealFi has been part of Cardano’s vision for years. The initiative focuses on expanding financial services into regions with limited banking access. Previous partnerships across Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Kenya all supported that broader objective. The analyst argues that the arrival of a working RealFi product gives investors something tangible after years of development.
Upcoming Cardano Upgrades Could Address Long Standing Weaknesses
Crypto Dossier believes Cardano’s biggest opportunity comes from upgrades scheduled for later this year.
Leios remains one of the most closely watched developments. The analyst says Leios could increase Cardano’s throughput by roughly 65 times and potentially move transaction capacity toward 1,000 transactions per second.
Transaction speed has remained one of Cardano’s biggest limitations when competing against faster Layer 1 networks.
Van Rossum represents another important upgrade. Crypto Dossier explains that Van Rossum aims to improve smart contract performance while reducing execution costs. Faster and cheaper smart contracts could make Cardano more attractive for developers building decentralized applications.
RealFi is also expected to move from testnet to mainnet later this year. Those improvements could begin addressing several concerns that have followed Cardano for years, particularly slower transaction processing, higher operating costs, and limited decentralized application development.
A Spot ADA ETF Could Become Another Major Catalyst
Crypto Dossier also points to another possible catalyst outside the network itself.
The analyst expects the possibility of a US spot ADA ETF could create additional interest before any investment products actually begin trading.
Previous cryptocurrency ETF announcements often affected prices before launch dates because investors anticipated future demand.
Crypto Dossier believes multiple positive developments arriving around the same period could strengthen Cardano’s position. Those include:
- Leios reaching mainnet
- RealFi launching fully
- Van Rossum becoming operational
- Possible approval of one or more US spot ADA ETFs
The analyst believes those events together could provide enough support for ADA price to challenge the top 10 rankings if market conditions remain favorable.
Cardano Still Needs Stronger Adoption to Justify Higher Valuation
Crypto Dossier also argues that Cardano’s future depends on more than technology upgrades.
The analyst believes Cardano earned its current valuation because it delivered on several promises made when the blockchain launched. Security, peer reviewed development, formal verification, and network reliability remain among its strongest characteristics.
Those qualities have helped Cardano maintain one of the strongest reputations for network stability across the industry.
Read Also: Cardano’s Biggest Upgrade Cycle Ever Is Coming – Gambardello’s Shocking 2026 ADA Price Prediction
Commercial adoption tells a different story. Many competing Layer 1 blockchains currently process more transactions, support larger DeFi ecosystems, attract greater enterprise activity, and offer lower operating costs.
Crypto Dossier believes Cardano must close that gap before it can justify an even higher valuation. Enterprise users often prioritize speed and lower transaction costs when selecting blockchain infrastructure. Recent examples include institutional tokenization projects and enterprise partnerships that selected faster competing networks.
The analyst believes Cardano’s upgrades are designed to remove those limitations without sacrificing the security and resilience built over several years. That combination could eventually give Cardano an advantage if adoption grows alongside its technical improvements.
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