What is Cardano and how to exchange ADA at the best rates
Get the latest exchange rates
Prices could have changed, refresh the search to see current offers
Cardano

Cardano

 ADA

Cardano is one of the most popular cryptocurrencies with a large market capitalization, however, the explanation to the question "what is Cardano?" may seem lost on many engagers of the crypto market. Cardano is a public Blockchain system that operates as an ecosystem with the aim of aiding change and progress in several human interactions. Its major focus is on the initiation, execution, and sustainability of the power redistributive process that decentralizes financial resources from unaccountable financial institutions to individuals.

Cardano Exchange Rate

ADA by TradingView

Key Points

  • Cardano is a Blockchain protocol system while its currency is called ADA.
  • Cardano is a Proof-of-Stake blockchain platform that runs a decentralized, strictly online system
  • The Cardano blockchain is home to several decentralized technologies, groups, ecosystems and applications. It provides mechanisms that ensure the thriving state of the assets hosted on it.
  • It is a pioneer system in that it was founded on peer-reviewed research and is maintained through facts from evidence.
  • By market value, Cardano is one of the 10 largest cryptocurrencies.

How Does it Work?

Cardano is a blockchain mechanism that provides sustainability, security, and thriving capacity to the decentralized digital assets hosted on the blockchain. The Cardano protocol maximizes security through the Proof-of-Stake system called Ourobos where blockchain users (validators) voluntarily play the role of verifying transactions on the blockchain through staking and they are in turn compensated with rewards (crypto tokens).

The protocol maintains a check and balance system such that in the event that validators make erroneous approvals, these validators may lose their money. Hence, the Cardano mechanism created a reliable and error-free network of transactions. The integrity of the protocol is amassed through the Proof-of-Stake system to improve the size and popularity of the network.

Meanwhile, ADA is primarily a tool of exchange and valuation of assets. Beyond this however, it is used as a tool to aid the operations and goals of the Cardano protocol. Ada jointly empowers the development and running of the decentralized app hosted on the Cardano blockchain.

Cardano, just as Bitcoin maintains a fixed supply of cryptocurrency for circulation (21 million coins for Bitcoin). This is, however, different from the distribution procedure of Ethereum and Dogecoin. These systems set limits to issuance on an annual basis. So, they maintain unlimited total supply.

Cardano maintains a stack of layers where the internal currency - Ada is positioned on the settlement layer that monitors transactions. The computation layer is the second layer and it aids the functionality of smart contracts and the dapps hosted on the system. Cardano uses a UTXO ledger model, (EUTXO) in facilitating the computation layer.

What are Cardano Native Tokens?

ADA is the official currency on the platform. One unit of ADA consists of several subunits called Lovelaces. Hence, one ADA equals 1,000,000 Lovelaces. However, aside from ADA, there are certain other native tokens that the Cardano Blockchain interacts with.

Native Tokens are custom assets that do not require the use of smart contracts. The blockchain possesses the inbuilt ability to create, delete, and interact with these tokens natively. These native Tokens serve as the source of functionality for the Multi-Asset (MA) support feature of the blockchain.

A Brief History of Cardano

Cardano was founded by Charles Hoskinson in 2015. It came as an offshoot of IOHK; a blockchain-engineering company with the primary aim of developing Cardano. The initiator of the Cardano project was a co-founder of Ethereum- a second generation, widely popular cryptocurrency. The Cardano blockchain is named after an Italian mathematician- Gerolamo Cardano likewise the currency ADA. It was named after an English mathematician - Ada Lovelace. The system is managed by the Cardano Foundation in Zug, Switzerland. It became the first large cryptocurrency to adopt the Proof-of-Stake blockchain instead of the Proof-of-Work alternative. Even now, it is the largest Proof-of-Stake protocol. As of 2017, Cardano had a market capitalization of over $10 billion. It reached $33 billion in 2018, $77 billion in 2021 and presently has over 45 billion coins in supply today.

The blockchain as well as the currency has found application in several transactions and deals. The protocol partnered with several universities on blockchain research and development of practical learning environments for university students. In 2020, IOHK made a donation of $500,000 in ADA currency to the University of Wyoming in support of its development of blockchain technology. The decentralized system maintained by the protocol is rooted in the blockchain technology. The blockchain keeps an open record of transactions, tracks the movement of crypto assets, and verifies every transaction using the Proof-of-Stake system.

What is ADA?

ADA is the Internal cryptocurrency used on the Cardano blockchain. It got its nomenclature from the first computer programmer, who happened to be an English mathematician and daughter of Lord Bryon the poet in the 19th century - Ada Lovelace. ADA is an easily accessible, public, and decentralized digital currency with topnotch security and transparency.

Holding an ADA coin is tantamount to holding a stake in the Cardano network and earning rewards for it. When the further development of the blockchain is executed, ADA may soon find multiple utilities for several services and DApps that will be hosted on the Cardano platform. ADA is available for sales and purchase on several crypto exchanges around the world.

What’s Next for Cardano?

According to the roadmap outlined by the Cardano team, we can soon expect some upgrades in features and capabilities. With the deployment of Cardano Goguen and the Cardano Alonzo mainnet hard fork, we expect the Basho upgrade soon.

The Cardano Basho upgrade is set to improve the scalability of the protocol. It will achieve this with the addition of side chains to the main chain to reduce its pressure. After the execution of this, we can now expect the final development stage- the governance stage- Voltaire. The phase will introduce a separation from IOHK's control and holders of ADA will now gain voting and treasury rights in the decentralized network.

How to Use Cardano

Cardano can be used to effect the exchange of goods and services through ADA as a payment instrument. It can also be used to host digital assets and smart contracts.

Cardano Pros and Cons

Cardano like other crypto currencies have their high-sides and low points. With that being said, let's examine the risks and potentials of the Cardano network.

Pros

  • Cardano runs on the wings of a reputable, well-versed, and experienced team. Although only a third-generation protocol, its founder: Hoskinson, has been in the business of the cryptosystem for decades. He was a co-founder at Ethereum, a second generation system.
  • The adoption of the Proof-of-Stake system is proof of the environmentally friendly procedure with which the protocol operates. It doesn't require as much energy consumption as some of its Proof-of-Work alternatives like Ethereum and bitcoin.
  • The peer-reviewed system of the Cardano network is worth emulating. The protocol follows a system that runs a test on each upgrade to the system before it is let out to the public.
  • Cardano is a platform that you would consider as 'substance over hype'. It is the type of crypto network to leverage on its service offerings and uniqueness rather than overstating its existence or use. It is no wonder the protocol is ranked among the top ten largest crypto platforms. This is at a point where it has not fully deployed all its offering.

Cons

  • Cardano is still in its early days. As a third generation, pioneering network, it arrived on the crypto scene quite late and has adopted the peer-review system that somewhat delays deployment and execution processes. So, there's a backlog of plans.
  • The Ambitious scope of innovation may be another point of concern about the system. Cardano has very lofty, trendsetting plans and visions which may or may not be realized.
  • Cardano undoubtedly has a large community of competitors within its sphere of influence.
  • It missed out on the first-mover advantage enjoyed by platforms like Bitcoin.

How to Exchange Cardano

To buy or sell ADA, you have to first identify some exchange platforms that support Cardano. There are several platforms, however, it's best to take this decision based on reviews. A bad choice of an exchange platform can ruin the exchange experience. Hence, we recommend Swapzone crypto exchange. It is a popular exchange platform with an inexhaustible list of coins for purchase or sale. The platform is easy to use with a customer-oriented interface, flexible features, affordable rates, fast exchanges, and a large community of users.

To exchange, visit the Swapzone, open an account, deposit your funds using your ATM card, PayPal, or any other accepted medium on the exchange. After this, search for Cardano in the search box on the platform, click and buy your desired quantity.

Frequently asked questions

How to Buy Cardano?

arrow

Cardano was founded by Ethereum co-founder, Charles Hoskinson, in 2015 as an open-source and decentralized platform to facilitate P2P transactions with its coin, ADA. Since then, it has evolved to become a fully-fledged cryptocurrency with a market cap of over $31 Billion. To buy ADA is simple, all you need to do is register an account on a cryptocurrency exchange or sign up for a wallet that can send and withdraw ADA.

With Swapzone, you can buy Cardano really easily with our rich asset selection and offers from 15+ exchange providers. For example, buy ADA with ETH at the best rate on the market in just a few simple steps:

  1. Select the Ethereum to Cardano swap pair.
  2. Enter the total amount of ETH you are going to exchange.
  3. Choose the best ETH to ADA swap offer.
  4. Click on the Exchange button.
  5. Enter your wallet address to receive Cardano to your wallet.
  6. Send your ETH deposit to the generated address.
  7. Wait for your ETH-ADA swap to be done.
  8. Receive your ADA to your wallet!

How to Invest in Cardano?

arrow

Cardano ranks among the Top-10 cryptocurrencies in terms of market capitalization and daily market volume according to CoinMarketCap. As a result, there is a rapidly growing interest among crypto investors to add Cardano to their portfolios. Also, investors see the focus of Cardano on these four areas of Digital identity, credential verification, product counterfeiting, and traceability as a potential for the coin’s future profitability.

You can invest in Cardano by registering an account on a cryptocurrency exchange to purchase and hold ADA or storing it in a more custodial wallet. Another way to invest in Cardano is to stake ADA tokens and earn rewards by securing the Cardano blockchain.

Now that you know how to invest your Cardano tokens, you can buy, sell or swap ADA with any other cryptocurrency of your choice at the lowest market rates on Swapzone’s user-friendly website. Head over to our exchange page to get started today.

*Every investment decision involves the risk of loss. The content of this website is informational only and should not be considered investment advice.

Will Cardano Reach $100?

arrow

Cardano can reach and surpass the $100 price point sometime in the future if it continues on its current trajectory. We did a deeper dive into Cardano and its future price prediction in one of our previous blog posts, and you can check that out. In the article, we also give a brief overview of the performance of ADA in the past and the price prediction for the future.

Cardano can be bought on almost every crypto exchange open to the public, but we advise you to do additional research before investing, and again, never invest more than you are willing to lose as you could never truly know what the highly volatile crypto market has in store.

Now that you know how to invest your Cardano tokens, you can buy, sell or swap ADA with any other cryptocurrency of your choice at the lowest market rates on Swapzone’s user-friendly website. Head over to Swapzone’s exchange page to get started today.

How Decentralized is Cardano?

arrow

Cardano founder, Charles Hoskinson, once remarked that “Cardano will be 100 times more decentralized than Bitcoin”, but how true is this statement. Experts have further explained that Hoskinsin was referring to Cardano’s validation system, which includes monetary incentives to diversify the number of evenly distributed stake pools in the system up to a thousand – beating Bitcoin’s system, where the top 10 Bitcoin mining pools control 50% of the network’s total hash rate. However, this does not necessarily mean complete decentralization as IOHK, EMURGO, and the Cardano Foundation are still the major controllers of the entire Cardano ecosystem. In addition, these three organizations are suspected of controlling some of the top 10 ADA wallets on the blockchain by token volume.

The control of IOHK, EMURGO, and Cardano Foundation is similar to that of a federation. IOHK does fundamental scientific and technology research, EMURGO attracts more businesses to the ecosystem, while the Cardano Foundation does community building. While this is not necessarily an original structure in cryptocurrency ecosystems, the current structure of Cardano allows it to move and innovate at higher speeds than perfectly decentralized systems like Bitcoin.

Are you interested in purchasing ADA? Head to Swapzone, and select a coin pair to swap for ADA. Enter the amount you wish to buy in the box, then follow the rest of the process to complete your transaction.

Is Cardano Dead?

arrow

The short answer is NO because, for a project to die, it would mean that there are no longer any node validators willing to run their mining software to secure the system. If this happens, no new blocks will be mined, resulting in no new transactions – this leads to a rapid loss of interest in the other ADA tokens available on exchanges or in private wallets and the inevitable death of the network. Therefore, this leads us to the clear conclusion that Cardano is not dead but merely going through another market volatility phase.

Furthermore, the still-unfolding event shows that the ADA believers, such as HODLers, developers, and the ADA community who are the core of the project still believe in the ADA dream. As a result, Cardano might survive this storm.

If you are interested in joining the relentless ADA community by purchasing ADA, head to Swapzone, and select a coin pair to swap for ADA. Enter the amount you wish to buy in the box, then follow the rest of the process to complete your transaction.

How Many Cardano Coins Are There?

arrow

The maximum supply of Cardano coins (ADA) is capped at 45 Billion. Between five rounds of public sales of Cardano from September 2015 to January 2017, about 31 Billion Cardano coins have been released to the public. At launch, 2.5 Billion ADA tokens were allocated to IOHK, 2.1 Billion tokens went to EMURGO, and 648 Million tokens were given to the Cardano Foundation.

Furthermore, new Cardano coins are released to the market as rewards earned by node validators in a Proof-of-Stake system. Experts have predicted this system will last for over several decades before the entire 45 Billion tokens are fully released to the market. This system of release keeps hyperinflation in check and makes the Cardano coin a deflationary asset.

Now that you know there is a maximum cap on the supply of new ADA tokens, you can buy, sell or swap ADA with any other cryptocurrency of your choice at the lowest market rates on Swapzone’s user-friendly website. Head over to Swapzone’s exchange page to get started today.

FlokiFi Locker is an innovative digital asset locker
protocol that allows you to securely lock
Liquidity Pool (LP) tokens, fungible tokens, and NFTs
LOCK SECURELY WITH FLOKIFI LOCKER

Recent articles

Browse all

Learn how to exchange cryptocurrency with the lowest fees or zero fees as well as how to find the best crypto exchange rates and choose the safest cryptocurrency exchange provider.