Cardan$ADA has been one of the better-performing large-cap altcoins over the past few weeks, and a growing number of Cardano supporters believe the network could be entering a very different phase. That idea picked up momentum after Cheeky Crypto published a detailed breakdown arguing that a move to $5 could alter the balance of power across the altcoin market.
The argument isn’t based on price alone. It comes from a combination of network upgrades, rising DeFi activity, governance milestones, and Cardano’s growing ambitions in areas like Bitcoin DeFi and real-world asset tokenization.
Cardano’s Biggest Upgrade Is Getting Closer
One of the biggest talking points is Ouroboros Leios. Cardanians reported that the upgrade is expected to reach the Cardano mainnet before the end of the year, making it one of the largest changes in the network’s history.
Ouroboros Leios is expected to be live on Cardano mainnet by the end of the year.
It'll be one of the largest updates to the network.
Cardano $ADA is about to get a massive boost in TPS. — Cardanians (CRDN) (@Cardanians_io) August 28, 2026
The upgrade has already shown promising results in testing. Early reports from Input Output’s Leios test phases demonstrated throughput improvements of roughly six times compared to the existing design. The goal is straightforward: increase transaction capacity without sacrificing Cardano’s security model.
For th$ADA price, that matters because scalability remains one of the biggest barriers to attracting larger DeFi applications and higher transaction volumes. If Leios performs on mainnet the way it has during testing, Cardano could become far more competitive with faster smart-contract networks. $BTC
The argument isn’t based on price alone. It comes from a combination of network upgrades, rising DeFi activity, governance milestones, and Cardano’s growing ambitions in areas like Bitcoin DeFi and real-world asset tokenization.
Cardano’s Biggest Upgrade Is Getting Closer
One of the biggest talking points is Ouroboros Leios. Cardanians reported that the upgrade is expected to reach the Cardano mainnet before the end of the year, making it one of the largest changes in the network’s history.
Ouroboros Leios is expected to be live on Cardano mainnet by the end of the year.
It'll be one of the largest updates to the network.
Cardano $ADA is about to get a massive boost in TPS. — Cardanians (CRDN) (@Cardanians_io) August 28, 2026
The upgrade has already shown promising results in testing. Early reports from Input Output’s Leios test phases demonstrated throughput improvements of roughly six times compared to the existing design. The goal is straightforward: increase transaction capacity without sacrificing Cardano’s security model.
For th$ADA price, that matters because scalability remains one of the biggest barriers to attracting larger DeFi applications and higher transaction volumes. If Leios performs on mainnet the way it has during testing, Cardano could become far more competitive with faster smart-contract networks. $BTC
