Cardano (ADA) is currently trading around $0.27, with a market cap of roughly $10.1 billion and a circulating supply of about 36.8 billion ADA. Meanwhile, XRP’s market cap sits near $86 billion.
So what happens if Cardano were valued at the same level as XRP?
Let’s run the math.
If ADA’s market cap increased from $10.1B to $86B, that’s roughly an 8.5x increase. Applying that multiple to the current ADA price of $0.27 gives a projected price of approximately $2.30–$2.35 per ADA.
More precisely, based on current supply figures, ADA would be worth around $2.34, representing roughly a 755% upside from current levels.
This isn’t a price prediction. It’s a simple market cap comparison model. But it does illustrate the scale of upside required for Cardano to reach XRP’s valuation.
The bigger question is whether such a move is realistic.
Source: thecoinperspective.com
What Could Affect ADA’s Future Price?
Is $2.34 ADA Price Realistic?
For ADA to justify an $86 billion valuation, fundamentals would need to strengthen meaningfully. Several catalysts are already in motion.
Cardano’s recent integration with LayerZero, announced by founder Charles Hoskinson, is a major development. Historically, Cardano operated in relative isolation compared to Ethereum or Solana. LayerZero changes that.
The integration connects Cardano to over 80 blockchains, including Ethereum and Solana. This opens the door to omnichain DeFi and seamless asset transfers across ecosystems.
Why this matters: If developers build cross-chain applications on Cardano, ADA becomes the gas token powering those interactions. Increased cross-chain usage can translate into sustained demand.
The catalyst is near-term, but execution is key. Adoption depends on developers choosing to deploy and users choosing to bridge liquidity.
Read also: Cardano (ADA) and the $10 Trillion RWA Opportunity: What’s Really at Stake
Cardano’s community-funded roadmap outlines several structural upgrades targeting 2026.
One of the most important is Ouroboros Leios, designed to significantly increase network throughput. Higher throughput means more transactions per second and better scalability for large-scale applications.
Another major initiative is Midnight, a privacy-focused sidechain aimed at regulated enterprise use cases. This could attract institutions seeking compliant privacy solutions.
Additionally, a proposed 70 million ADA budget allocation is intended to accelerate stablecoin and oracle integrations. That funding could enhance DeFi infrastructure and expand use cases.
These are medium-term structural drivers. If successfully implemented, they could support a higher long-term valuation. On the flip side, delays or technical challenges could prolong Cardano’s current period of muted activity.
On-chain data from Santiment shows that whales accumulated over 454 million ADA in the final two weeks of January, even as retail participants reduced exposure.
That type of divergence often signals strategic positioning by larger holders.
At the same time, CME launched ADA futures, creating a regulated derivatives market. Historically, futures markets often precede the introduction of spot ETFs. If regulatory conditions align, a potential ADA spot ETF by August 2026 is not off the table.
Institutional access pathways matter for market cap expansion. XRP’s valuation benefits from broad awareness, liquidity, and institutional products. For ADA to approach that scale, similar access channels would likely need to mature.
For ADA to reach $2.34, capital inflows of roughly $76 billion would need to enter the ecosystem relative to current levels.
That level of re-rating typically requires:
It is possible in a strong bull cycle. It is unlikely during prolonged risk-off conditions.
Market cap comparisons provide perspective, not certainty.
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