Cardano just reclaimed 15th place in the global crypto rankings, overtaking Stellar (XLM) with a market cap of $6.39 billion against XLM's $6.30 billion. The move came as on-chain data from Santiment showed large ADA holders accumulated more than 30 million coins over the past seven days, lifting total whale holdings to 5.69 billion ADA.
The buying wasn't a one-time spike. Weeks earlier, wallets holding between 100,000 and 100 million ADA had already pushed their combined balance to 25.6 billion ADA, the highest figure in over three and a half years. The latest 30-million-coin addition sits on top of that, pointing to a steady, deliberate build-up rather than opportunistic trading.
How close is Cardano to the next targets?
The gap to the coins directly above ADA is thin. Chainlink (LINK) sits 14th with a $6.43 billion cap, just $40 million ahead. Monero (XMR) holds 13th at $6.61 billion. At the current pace of accumulation, both could come into range within days if broader market sentiment holds.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has been publicly targeting something far more ambitious: a return to the top 10 before year-end. To get there, ADA's market cap would need to grow roughly 76%, from $6.39 billion to around $11.25 billion, matching Dogecoin's current valuation at position 10. That's a big jump from 15th place, but three months ago the coin wasn't even in the top 15.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Crypto markets are volatile; always do your own research before making investment decisions.
