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Whales bought 10 million Cardano as the price fell and retail investors exited. The contrast is hard to ignore: while sentiment weakens, the largest wallets are accumulating at their fastest pace in months. It could be a trap — or a familiar crypto setup quietly taking shape.

The Accumulation Nobody Is Talking About

Wallets holding 10 million or more ADA accumulated over 140 million tokens in a single three-day window earlier this year — one of the sharpest short-burst accumulation events of 2026. 

Zoomed out, the picture deepens: the total number of 10M+ ADA addresses has climbed to 424 — a four-month high — rising 5.2% over nine weeks, with aggregate holdings reaching 819 million ADA worth approximately $214 million.

Even the 100M–1B cohort — the largest players on the network — added roughly 150 million tokens during the same period.

This isn’t speculation. Ada’s on-chain data from Santiment tracking the supply distribution shift in real time. 

Large wallets are absorbing sell pressure that retail is generating — the textbook condition that either precedes a recovery or extends into a longer accumulation grind.

According to an X post by popular on-chain analyst Ali Charts, whales Accumulated over 10 million ADA in the last 72 hours.

What makes the thesis credible beyond the whale data: Cardano ranks #1 among all Layer 1 blockchains in developer commits as of April 29. 

The Protocol 11 hard fork bringing Plutus V3 is expected in June. The Ouroboros Leios testnet — targeting 1,000+ TPS — launches the same month. 

A spot ADA ETF decision from the SEC is possible as early as August 2026. None of these have moved the price yet. All of them are dated deliverables.

What the Charts Are Showing

On the ADA/USD weekly chart, (captured: May 1, 2026 — 11:38 UTC) price sits at $0.2475 — still compressed between the lower Bollinger Band at $0.1827 and the middle band at $0.2930.

The MACD histogram just turned green for the first time in months — a fragile but meaningful early signal. 

A weekly close above $0.29 is the technical trigger that would shift the structure from accumulation to breakout.

The ADA/BTC weekly chart is where the patience is tested hardest. ADA trades at 0.00000320 BTC — a fraction of its 2024 high of 0.00001587 — deep in underperformance territory against Bitcoin

The RSI Divergence Indicator sits at a two-year low of 27.09, but has printed three confirmed Bull divergence signals across the past two years.

Each one preceding a meaningful recovery leg. A fourth setup is quietly forming in the same zone.

The whales loaded while the charts touched two-year lows. Was that fear — or precision?

Disclaimer:
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or trading advice. The views expressed are based on publicly available data, market observations, and the author’s interpretation at the time of writing. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile and unpredictable, and past performance or current technical setups do not guarantee future results. Readers should conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. TechGaged does not accept liability for any losses incurred based on the information presented.