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Cardano

More than half of Cardano's circulating supply is now staked, with network data showing about 57% of <a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24ADA&amp;src=cashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$ADA</a> delegated to stake pools. At the time of writing, the staked tokens were worth roughly $4.3 billion.
<h2 id="what-the-staking-data-shows">What the staking data shows</h2>
According to <a href="https://cexplorer.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Cexplorer</a>, a Cardano blockchain explorer, live stake stands at 21.64 billion ADA, or 57.6% of circulating supply. The explorer lists around 2,858 pools with stake. Active stake, the portion counted for rewards in the current epoch, is 21.26 billion ADA.
Other trackers point to a similar range. <a href="https://financefeeds.com/cardano-staking-explained-how-to-stake-ada/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">FinanceFeeds</a> reported that about 21.3 billion ADA was staked across roughly 2,700 pools in epoch 661 in October 2026, representing about 58% of circulating supply. Exact percentages differ slightly depending on how circulating supply is defined and which epoch is measured.
The ratio has moved in recent months. <a href="https://phemex.com/academy/cardano-ada" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Phemex</a> put the figure above 63% in March 2026, though that source used a different supply measure, so the numbers are not directly comparable.
<h2 id="how-cardano-staking-works">How Cardano staking works</h2>
Staking on Cardano differs from many proof-of-stake networks. Holders delegate their ADA to a stake pool, but the tokens stay in their own wallet. <a href="https://financefeeds.com/cardano-staking-explained-how-to-stake-ada/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">FinanceFeeds</a> describes this as a non-custodial delegation model, with rewards distributed every five-day epoch. Cardano's consensus layer runs on Ouroboros, a proof-of-stake protocol developed by Input Output Global.
That means a high staking ratio does not necessarily reflect tokens being removed from circulation. <a href="https://www.figment.io/staking/protocols/cardano/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Figment</a> notes there is no unstaking period on Cardano and that tokens are transferable immediately upon unstaking. It also says Cardano does not currently enforce slashing, although poor node behaviour can lead to missed rewards.
Yields are modest. <a href="https://www.coinbase.com/earn/staking/cardano" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coinbase</a> lists an estimated reward rate of 1.35%, while Staking Rewards data cited by NOWNodes put network-wide rewards near 2.14% APY. Rates vary by pool and over time.
A high share of delegated supply is generally read as a sign of holder engagement. It also spreads block production across many pools, which supports the network's decentralisation. The figure is not a price signal on its own, and staking participation has not shielded ADA from broader market swings.
Sources
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://cexplorer.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Cexplorer: Cardano network overview</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://financefeeds.com/cardano-staking-explained-how-to-stake-ada/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">FinanceFeeds: Cardano staking explained</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.coinbase.com/earn/staking/cardano" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coinbase: Cardano staking stats</a></li>
</ul>

More than half of $ADA's supply is now staked!

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