What is Cardano?
Cardano is a third-generation blockchain platform built on peer-reviewed research and formally verified code. It's designed to be the most secure, sustainable, and scalable blockchain in the world.
Epoch Stats#639
Network Activity
Transactions per epoch — last 30 epochs (~5 months)
Wealth Distribution
Wallets categorized by ADA balance
POLY
POLYPool
Luck
Fee
0.9% + 170 ADA
Delegators
2,584
Live Stake
54.2M ADA
Blocks
51 this epoch · 18,088 total
Pledge
1.0M ADA
ALPS
ALPS - The Alpine Stake Pool
Luck
Fee
2.5% + 340 ADA
Delegators
3,755
Live Stake
17.8M ADA
Blocks
6 this epoch · 8,993 total
Pledge
75K ADA
KIWI
KIWI by 🥝Kiwipool Staking
Luck
Fee
2.0% + 340 ADA
Delegators
4,502
Live Stake
33.2M ADA
Blocks
26 this epoch · 15,107 total
Pledge
400K ADA
BERRY
Berry
Luck
Fee
1.5% + 340 ADA
Delegators
16,336
Live Stake
29.9M ADA
Blocks
20 this epoch · 12,945 total
Pledge
45K ADA
DIGI
Digital Fortress
Luck
Fee
2.0% + 340 ADA
Delegators
2,206
Live Stake
58.8M ADA
Blocks
58 this epoch · 23,659 total
Pledge
200K ADA
APOP
ADAPOP
Luck
Fee
1.0% + 340 ADA
Delegators
2,334
Live Stake
49.9M ADA
Blocks
52 this epoch · 16,125 total
Pledge
250K ADA
SMAUG
竜SM₳UG
Luck
Fee
3.0% + 170 ADA
Delegators
2,883
Live Stake
31.9M ADA
Blocks
29 this epoch · 15,532 total
Pledge
1.0M ADA
BRAVO
Bravo pool
Luck
Fee
1.5% + 340 ADA
Delegators
6,807
Live Stake
53.7M ADA
Blocks
41 this epoch · 23,307 total
Pledge
310K ADA
STR8
Straight Pool
Luck
Fee
2.0% + 170 ADA
Delegators
4,401
Live Stake
53.6M ADA
Blocks
38 this epoch · 22,695 total
Pledge
650K ADA
ATLAS
AtlasStakePool
Luck
Fee
0.8% + 340 ADA
Delegators
2,864
Live Stake
39.9M ADA
Blocks
42 this epoch · 17,733 total
Pledge
500K ADA
Updated: 03:19 AM UTC
Why Cardano is different
Most blockchains move fast and fix things later. Cardano does the science first.
Peer-Reviewed Research
Every Cardano protocol upgrade is backed by academic papers reviewed by cryptographers and computer scientists. No shortcuts.
Ouroboros Consensus
The first provably secure proof-of-stake protocol. Ouroboros ensures decentralization without the energy waste of proof-of-work.
Plutus Smart Contracts
Smart contracts written in Haskell-based Plutus or the newer Aiken language. Formally verifiable, meaning bugs can be mathematically ruled out.
Voltaire Governance
ADA holders vote on protocol changes and treasury spending on-chain. No company controls Cardano — the community does.
Built for the Real World
Cardano targets financial inclusion in developing nations, digital identity, supply chain, and government systems.
Hydra Scaling
Hydra is Cardano's layer-2 solution, enabling thousands of transactions per second off-chain while inheriting layer-1 security.
Development Eras
Cardano unfolds in five named eras, each adding a new capability layer.
Foundation — initial launch, ADA transfers.
Decentralization — stake pools, staking rewards.
Smart contracts — Plutus, native tokens, NFTs.
Scaling — Hydra, Mithril, performance upgrades.
Governance — on-chain voting, treasury, DReps.
ADA — The Token
ADA
Ticker
45B
Max Supply
~3–5%
Staking APY
~20s
Block Time
Where to Buy ADA
Ready to get your first ADA? These are trusted, regulated exchanges.
Coinbase Advanced
Regulated US exchange · Available in 100+ countries
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
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