Cardano whales offload over 110 million ADA as active addresses decline sharply
Large holders sold more than 110 million ADA in five days while daily active addresses fell from 27,248 to 15,977, a 41.36% drop, even as DeFi TVL rose and the network set a transaction record.
Why it matters
The divergence between heavy whale selling and rising DeFi TVL plus a network transaction record creates mixed signals for Cardano's near-term direction. Futures positioning and the SuperTrend flip add downside risk if the $0.21 support fails, while a weekly close above $0.323 would signal a broader trend change.
Where the sources disagree
Price outlook
$0.17 if $0.21 support breaks (Ali Martinez)
Crypto.News
$0.21 as downside target from channel rejection (Ali Martinez)
Crypto.News, Crypto.News
$0.2887 watched by Crypto Patel for upside
CryptoPotato
$0.323 weekly close needed for bullish trend flip (Trend Rider)
Brave New Coin
Potential 1,000% rally to ATH forecast by Trading Bureau analyst Jordan
The Crypto Basic
Analysts are split between bearish targets near $0.17-$0.21 and bullish scenarios targeting $0.2887-$0.70 depending on support and weekly closes
Network activity trend
Active addresses fell from 27,248 to 15,977 (-41.36%)
CoinGape, CryptoPotato
DeFi TVL increased by 22.45 million ADA in one week
CoinGape
Epoch 660 processed 1,780,896 transactions, a new all-time high
CryptoPotato
Daily active addresses dropped 41.36% while DeFi TVL rose and Epoch 660 set a transaction volume record
Key facts
Whales sold more than 110 million ADA in the five days since October 8
110,000,000 ADAReported by CoinGape
Daily active addresses fell from 27,248 to 15,977, a 41.36% decline
41.36 %Disputed figureReported by CoinGape
DeFi Total Value Locked rose from 257.43 million to 279.88 million ADA, gaining 22.45 million ADA in one week
22,450,000 ADADisputed figureReported by CoinGape
Epoch 660 set a transaction record of 1,780,896 transactions, beating the prior high of 1,566,974 from November 2021
1,780,896 transactionsDisputed figureReported by CryptoPotato
ADA price declined 15% over seven days to $0.233 by October 13
15 %Reported by CoinGape
Ali Martinez identified $0.21 as a downside target if ascending channel rejection holds, later warning of $0.17 if daily support at $0.21 breaks
0.21 USDDisputed figureReported by Crypto.News
Trend Rider set a bullish confirmation level at a weekly close above $0.323
0.323 USDDisputed figureReported by Brave New Coin
SuperTrend indicator turned bearish on October 20, a signal last seen on May 22 before a 46% correction
46 %Reported by Crypto.News
What happened
Between October 8 and 13, analysts including Ali Martinez reported that wallets classified as whales sold more than 110 million ADA, coinciding with a 15% weekly price decline to around $0.233. Daily active addresses dropped from 27,248 to 15,977, a 41.36% decline reported by both CoinGape and CryptoPotato. At the same time, DeFiLlama data showed Cardano's Total Value Locked increased from 257.43 million to 279.88 million ADA, a gain of 22.45 million in one week. During Epoch 660 the network processed 1,780,896 transactions, surpassing the previous high of 1,566,974 from November 2021. Technical analysts diverged: Martinez warned of a move toward $0.21 and later $0.17 if support breaks, while Trend Rider set a bullish trigger at a weekly close above $0.323 and Crypto Patel remained optimistic targeting $0.2887. Futures data from CoinGlass showed short sellers dominating long positions. By October 21, ADA had recovered slightly to $0.2235 but the SuperTrend indicator turned bearish, a signal last seen in May before a 46% correction.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by CoinGape
Cardano Price Outlook Eyes Recovery to $0.30 as Whale Activity Surges
- Update
CoinGape reports whale activity surge and ADA near $0.255
First report in the cluster noting 42% gain since September 16 and whale transfers at four-month high
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Crypto.News
Cardano price loses $0.24, can its ascending channel survive?
- Update
Crypto.News identifies ascending channel rejection and $0.21 target
Ali Martinez analysis places channel lower boundary near $0.21 as ADA trades at $0.232
- Update
CoinGape reports active addresses surge to ~27,500, 70% above September average
Santiment data shows 27,500 and 27,200 active addresses on October 7-8; cumulative transactions pass 125 million
- Update
Whale offloading of 110M+ ADA and active address collapse reported
CoinGape and CryptoPotato both cite Ali Martinez data showing >110M ADA sold since Oct 8; active addresses drop 41.36% to 15,977
- Update
Epoch 660 sets new transaction record of 1,780,896
CryptoPotato reports network handles record transactions, averaging 83.83 per block
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 7 Oct 2026, 12:05 UTC: CoinGape — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 8 Oct 2026, 16:56 UTC: Crypto.News — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 9 Oct 2026, 07:45 UTC: The Crypto Basic — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 12 Oct 2026, 13:45 UTC: Brave New Coin — 4 independent sources, 6 reports
- 13 Oct 2026, 10:50 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 5 independent sources, 9 reports
- 13 Oct 2026, 14:42 UTC: CryptoPotato — 6 independent sources, 11 reports
- 14 Oct 2026, 04:46 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 7 independent sources, 12 reports
- 19 Oct 2026, 11:47 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 8 independent sources, 17 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Coinbase, Ethereum, Base, XRP, FTX, Hyperliquid, BNB
Original sources
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