Cardano DeFi TVL Soars 28.7% as Whales Accumulate 348M ADA

Cardano’s decentralized finance sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience, with total value locked (TVL) climbing 28.7% during the third quarter of 2025 to reach its highest level since early 2022. This substantial growth was primarily driven by core protocols like Liqwid and Minswap, with Liqwid’s TVL surging 50.8% to $101.6 million while Minswap dominated 74.7% of the network’s DEX volume. The performance of these native protocols underscores the maturing Cardano ecosystem’s ability to attract and retain capital.

Parallel to the DeFi expansion, Cardano’s treasury balance climbed to $1.3 billion, reflecting renewed developer confidence and ecosystem resilience. This substantial treasury growth provides the network with significant resources for future development and ecosystem funding. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson praised the community’s growing commitment to decentralization, emphasizing that ADA’s ecosystem could expand into “seven or eight digits” in DeFi value if users continue adopting native protocols, highlighting the substantial growth potential that remains untapped.

Despite recent market instability that dragged ADA below $0.60, whale activity has surged dramatically, indicating strong institutional belief in Cardano’s long-term prospects. On-chain data from Santiment reveals that between November 7 and 10, large holders accumulated 348 million ADA tokens worth over $204 million, representing nearly 0.94% of the total supply. This substantial accumulation by major investors demonstrates significant confidence in ADA’s recovery potential.

The whale buying spree has coincided with a modest 21% rebound in ADA’s price from its $0.49 low earlier this month, as investors anticipate a potential breakout above $0.60. Analysts have identified a bullish “Power of Three” pattern forming, which could pave the way for a rally toward $0.73, and possibly higher in the next bullish phase. However, despite this whale accumulation, overall network activity has softened slightly with daily active addresses declining, suggesting that while retail users remain cautious, institutional and high-net-worth investors are positioning for long-term gains.

Cardano’s inclusion among digital assets aligned with the ISO 20022 global financial messaging standard has significantly strengthened its institutional narrative. Charles Hoskinson reaffirmed ADA’s full support for this framework, placing it alongside established assets like XRP and XLM in global payment interoperability. This alignment positions Cardano favorably for integration with traditional financial systems and enhances its appeal to institutional investors seeking compliant blockchain solutions.

The network achieved a critical milestone in September 2025 with the implementation of full community-led governance, marking a significant step toward decentralization. Concurrently, Cardano continues to roll out technical upgrades such as Halo2-Plutus, which enhance privacy and scalability capabilities. The Cardano Foundation’s updated roadmap focuses on expanding DeFi liquidity, growing stablecoin adoption, and tokenizing real-world assets, indicating a maturing ecosystem ready for the next wave of blockchain adoption and institutional integration.