Cardano Whales Accumulate Additional 410 Million ADA... Will They Lead the Rebound?

▲ Cardano (ADA)

While Cardano (ADA) prices have continued to weaken this year, large holders are accumulating the largest ever amount, acting in direct opposition to retail investors.

According to BeInCrypto on May 15 (local time), on-chain analytics firm Santiment revealed that wallets holding at least 1 million ADA currently hold a total of 25.09 billion ADA. This is the largest amount since data collection began, and the holdings of these wallets account for 67.47% of Cardano's circulating supply. This proportion is the highest since July 2020.

Santiment stated, “Although Cardano has lost 71% of its market capitalization over the past nine months, ‘millionaire’-tier sharks and whales appear content to add more while prices are discounted.” Large holders accumulated an additional 410 million ADA since the beginning of 2026 alone. Market interest grew as this accumulation trend continued despite the price decline.

Retail investor wallets moved in the opposite direction. Santiment analyzed that major holders have consistently secured more of the existing supply since December 2023. During the same period, wallets holding 100 ADA to 1,000 ADA reduced their holdings by 76.22 million ADA, a decrease of 15.6%. Wallets holding 1,000 ADA to 10,000 ADA released 320 million ADA, with a decrease rate of 14.4%.

BeInCrypto explained that the trend of retail investors selling and whales simultaneously accumulating signifies a phase where supply moves from weak hands to strong hands. Large holders typically operate with longer investment horizons, so they can support a recovery if overall market conditions improve. However, the increased concentration of ownership also raised concerns that Cardano's price could react more sensitively when whales distribute their holdings in a bull market.

Cardano has fallen by over 20% since the beginning of 2026, despite a short-term rebound. Nevertheless, the holdings of wallets with over 1 million ADA reached an all-time high, with more than two-thirds of the circulating supply concentrated in the hands of large holders. The Cardano market has entered a phase of supply restructuring, characterized by price weakness, whale accumulation, and retail investor exodus occurring simultaneously.

*Disclaimer: This article is for investment reference only, and we are not responsible for any investment losses based on it. The content should be interpreted for informational purposes only.*