A Cardano stake pool operator has pushed back against criticisms from last October, arguing that many concerns no longer match current realities. The reassessment points to tangible progress in liquidity, infrastructure, and connectivity that narrow the gap between perception and delivery.
Critics previously cited the absence of reliable native stablecoins, frequent iUSD depegging, and thin DJED liquidity that drove traders to centralized venues. That argument has weakened with the launch of USDCx, a 1:1 redeemable USDC variant designed for privacy and built so it cannot be frozen or clawed back at the address level.
Liquidity metrics have improved: total value locked (TVL) measured in ADA has risen about 21%, from 447.9 million to roughly 542 million ADA. FluidTokens has nearly doubled its locked capital, and Danogo has more than doubled its holdings.
Network performance complaints centered on two-minute transaction delays during peak periods and delayed scaling tools such as Hydra and Leios. Development on Leios has since advanced noticeably, showing a clear path toward 1,000 transactions per second. Even during the December 2025 NIGHT launch, congestion remained manageable and decentralized exchange activity increased without disruption.
On-chain adoption was previously criticized—roughly 19,000 daily active users were cited and compared unfavorably to faster chains like Solana. The SPO notes Cardano’s fee structure incentivizes deliberate, economically meaningful activity rather than bot-driven wash trading and spam that can inflate activity metrics elsewhere.
At publication, CoinMarketCap shows ADA up 3.46% to $0.2493 over 24 hours, tracking a broader market recovery led by Bitcoin’s 1.01% gain. The modest rise was supported by incremental demand from a new retail listing. Technically, if ADA holds above the $0.245 support it could retest the 7-day SMA near $0.255; a break below might push it toward $0.24. Direction largely depends on Bitcoin’s reaction to Fed Chair Powell’s March 30 speech.