Cardano’s largest stakeholder wallets now control their highest ADA balance since February 2023. Santiment data shows wallets holding 100,000 to 100 million ADA have increased their supply during the past four months. The accumulation arrives while ADA trades near multi-year lows and struggles to build bullish momentum. The growing gap between whale buying and retail selling now places ADA’s next price move under closer review.
Cardano Stakeholders Build Largest Position Since 2023
Wallets holding between 100,000 and 100 million ADA now own more than 25.6 billion coins. Their combined balance has risen by 1.8% over four months, according to Santiment’s supply distribution data. The latest total marks the group’s highest holdings in about three and a half years.
Large holders often increase exposure when prices trade near long-term demand areas. In Cardano’s case, the buying has developed during a prolonged downtrend rather than after a confirmed recovery. That pattern shows stakeholders are absorbing available supply, although the data does not establish when price momentum may improve.
Cardano Stakeholders | Source: X
Smaller wallets have moved in the opposite direction. Addresses holding fewer than 100 ADA have reduced their combined balance by about 0.7% over the same four-month period. The decline suggests some retail holders have cut exposure as ADA’s weak 2026 performance tests market confidence.
This supply split may reduce the amount of ADA that short-term participants hold and shift more coins toward wallets with larger positions and longer holding periods. Still, whale accumulation alone cannot reverse a downtrend without stronger spot demand, higher trading activity, and a clear break above nearby resistance.
Exchange flows and trading volume will help confirm whether large holders plan to keep building positions. Rising spot purchases across exchanges would provide stronger evidence than wallet balances alone. For now, the accumulation mainly shows that larger investors accept current prices while smaller holders reduce exposure.
ADA Price Holds Near a Critical Demand Zone
ADA trades near $0.158, close to a weekly demand area between $0.143 and $0.160. Buyers have previously entered around this region, and recent selling pressure has slowed near the lower end of the range. The zone now serves as the main support area for the current market structure.
ADA/USD 1-Week Chart | Source: TradingView
A sustained hold above $0.143 would keep recovery prospects open and allow buyers to test higher levels. A weekly loss of that support would weaken the setup and expose ADA to the next major demand area near $0.08. Such a decline would delay any rebound linked to stakeholder accumulation.
ADA must reclaim $0.187 before the market can form a stronger short-term recovery structure. That level has limited recent rebound attempts and sits above the current demand zone. A weekly close above it could open a move toward the next supply region around $0.26.
