ADA Falls 4% on Heavy Volume. but Cardano Upcoming Leios Upgrade Keeps Hopes Alive

ADA slid 4% in the past 24 hours, with 24-hour trading volume jumping nearly 38.4% above the 7-day average. Cardano’s ADA token came under pressure Saturday, falling to $0.5818 and extending its weekly losses despite renewed focus on the network’s Leios upgrade. ADA declined 3.77% over the past 24 hours, with volume spiking 38.39% above the 7-day average, according to CoinDesk Research's technical analysis model. On Thirsday, Input Output Global (IOG), the research arm behind Cardano, reiterated its vision for the upcoming Leios upgrade via a thread on X. The team explained that Leios is designed to optimize transaction processing and resource utilization, especially during peak block activity. The design introduces new mechanisms like endorsements to maintain security and data availability while boosting overall throughput. Leios was first introduced in November 2022 as a new family variant of Cardano’s Ouroboros consensus protocol. At the time, IOG highlighted that existing designs such as Praos and Genesis faced fundamental scalability limits — not due to bandwidth or CPU, but due to algorithmic dependencies that constrained throughput. Leios seeks to address these limits with a major architectural overhaul, including faster chain sync, tiered transaction fees, and greater service prioritization. The upgrade is not just a tweak to the existing system but a substantial redesign. While implementation will demand considerable changes, its benefits could be transformative. IOG Co-Founder and CEO Charles Hoskinson said on X on May 10 that he expects Leios to go live on the Cardano mainnet in 2026, a timeline that was reportedly accelerated from an initial 2028 projection. Meanwhile, long-term holders continue to withdraw ADA from centralized exchanges, signaling conviction in the asset’s future. Technical Analysis Highlights Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy. Siamak Masnavi is a researcher specializing in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency regulations, and macroeconomic trends shaping the crypto market. He holds a PhD in computer science from the University of London and began his career in software development, including four years in the banking industry in the City of London and Zurich. In April 2018, Siamak transitioned to writing about cryptocurrency news, focusing on journalism until January 2025, when he shifted exclusively to research on the aforementioned topics. CoinDesk Analytics is CoinDesk's AI-powered tool that, with the help of human reporters, generates market data analysis, price movement reports, and financial content focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain markets. All content produced by CoinDesk Analytics is undergoes human editing by CoinDesk's editorial team before publication. The tool synthesizes market data and information from CoinDesk Data and other sources to create timely market reports, with all external sources clearly attributed within each article. CoinDesk Analytics operates under CoinDesk's AI content guidelines, which prioritize accuracy, transparency, and editorial oversight. Learn more about CoinDesk's approach to AI-generated content in our AI policy. https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/06/21/ada-falls-4-on-heavy-volume-but-cardano-mainnet-s-leios-upgrade-keeps-hopes-alive #crypto #bitcoin #ethereum #cryptocurrency #news #blockchain #litecoin #cryptonews #cryptonewstoday #cryptoworld #cryptonewstoday ***NOT FINANCIAL, LEGAL, OR TAX ADVICE! JUST OPINION! I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I DO NOT GUARANTEE A PARTICULAR OUTCOME I HAVE NO INSIDE KNOWLEDGE! YOU NEED TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS! THIS IS JUST ENTERTAINMENT! This information is what was found publicly on the internet. This information could’ve been doctored or misrepresented by the internet. All information is meant for public awareness and is public domain. This information is not intended to slander harm or defame any of the actors involved but to show what was said through their social media accounts. Please take this information and do your own research. bitcoin, blockchain, crypto, cryptocurrency, altcoin, investment, ethereum, bitcoin crash, xrp, cardano, ripple