Cardano has received an accolade from Everstake, a leading global non-custodial staking infrastructure provider in the crypto space.
Notably, Everstake has over $7 billion staked and generated over $700 million in revenue, underscoring its prominence. Recently, the firm noted that Cardano is showing signs of growth as its total value locked (TVL) reaches levels not seen in over a year.
Key Points
- Cardano TVL has hit an over-one-year high, data from DefiLlama confirms.
- On April 1, the network’s TVL hit 559.4 million $ADA, surpassing the January 30, 2025, high of 545 million $ADA.
- Currently at 538.44 million $ADA, the total value locked on Cardano reflects a 41.7% increase from the September 2025 lows of 380 million $ADA.
- Everstake views the growth as a sign that Cardano is “more active and healthier than ever.”
- It added that this could be the beginning, suggesting Cardano would see further growth in TVL.
Cardano More Active
Specifically, Everstake reacted to a tweet from Cardano-focused trading platform TapTools, highlighting the recent expansion of DeFi activities on the network. The platform highlighted that the Cardano TVL has hit an over-one-year high.
Notably, data from DeFiLlama confirmed this. It shows that Cardano TVL has grown steadily from lows of around 380 million $ADA in September 2025 to its current level. On April 1, the network’s TVL hit 559.4 million $ADA, surpassing the January 30, 2025 high of 545 million $ADA. The last time such a level of DeFi activity was seen on the $ADA ecosystem was in December 2024.
Currently at 538.44 million $ADA, the total value locked on Cardano still stands at an over-one-year high. From the September 2025 lows, the current value represents a 41.7% growth, reflecting increased usage of Cardano’s decentralized finance tools.
Nonetheless, the valuation in dollar terms has continued to drop. Currently at $133.8 million, it stands well below December 2024 highs of $693.3 million. Notably, this is a product of the steady decline in the asset’s price. In December 2024, Cardano was trading at above $1, with the current price of $0.246 representing an over 75% drop.
Signs of a Health Network: Everstake
Everstake views the growth $ADA tokens locked on the platform as a sign that Cardano is “more active and healthier than ever.” Higher TVL indicates greater DeFi activity, suggesting that users find Cardano useful. This is a sign of a healthy blockchain.
Notably, Cardano enthusiasts have long clamored for this. DeFi on the network has remained stunted for a while, underperforming relative to comparable blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana. It even lags behind newer and smaller chains like SUI.
However, efforts from founder Charles Hoskinson, the Cardano Foundation, and other relevant authorities seem to be paying off. Recall that the Foundation committed an eight-figure $ADA to boost stablecoin liquidity and, consequently, DeFi activities. The ecosystem also recently landed a collaboration with Circle, integrating its USDCx stablecoin to the chain.
Everstake expressed excitement in finally seeing the “steady, organic growth” that proponents have angled for coming to fruition. It added that this could be the beginning, suggesting Cardano would see further growth in TVL.
Interestingly, Hoskinson shares a similar projection. Earlier, he noted that unlocking Bitcoin and XRP DeFi and the Midnight launch will significantly impact Cardano TVL, potentially taking it to $15 billion.
