Prominent YouTuber Lark Davies has shared an optimistic outlook for Cardano, urging its community to think bigger as the network’s development accelerates. In a video on April 24, 2025, Davies highlighted Cardano’s remarkable $90 billion market cap during the previous bull run, even though the blockchain didn’t yet support smart contracts or have widespread application usage.

With smart contracts now fully operational on Cardano’s network, Davies believes that the blockchain’s future growth potential is much greater than during its previous peak. He emphasized that the full realization of smart contracts and real-world use cases could result in a far more significant rise in Cardano’s market cap, even surpassing its previous highs.

Cardano’s 2021 Performance

During the last bull run, Cardano (ADA) saw its price soar from below $1.20 to a high of $3.09, propelling its market cap to over $90 billion. However, as the market corrected, ADA’s price fell, and the network’s market capitalization now sits at approximately $25 billion.

Despite the drop from its peak, Cardano’s underlying fundamentals have improved dramatically, thanks to the integration of smart contracts and growing developer activity. Davies encourages the Cardano community to look beyond past market cycles and focus on the blockchain’s long-term potential with these upgrades in place.

130,000+ Smart Contracts Deployed

One of the key indicators of Cardano’s growth is its expanding smart contract ecosystem. According to data from TapTools, Cardano has surpassed 130,000 smart contracts deployed on its mainnet. This significant rise in the number of smart contracts demonstrates a sharp increase in development activity, opening up new avenues for Cardano’s growth.

Smart contracts enable the creation of decentralized applications (dApps) across various sectors, including decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and supply chain management. As the number of dApps and projects utilizing Cardano’s smart contracts grows, so too will the blockchain’s utility, which could directly contribute to an increase in its market capitalization.

Network Stability and Growing Speculation on ADA ETF

In addition to the growing smart contract ecosystem, Cardano’s network stability is becoming a standout feature. Frederik Gregaard, CEO of the Cardano Foundation, reported that the blockchain has been running without a single failure for the past seven years. Cardano has consistently implemented more code changes than other networks and has not missed a block since its debut in 2017.

This track record of reliability boosts Cardano’s credibility and positions it as a robust and dependable platform in the blockchain space.

Speculation is also growing about the possibility of an ADA spot exchange-traded fund (ETF). With Paul Atkins now serving as the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), hopes for the approval of crypto ETFs have increased. According to data from prediction market Polymarket, the probability of an ADA ETF approval in 2025 has risen to 46%, fueling anticipation within the Cardano community.

Technical Analysis: Cardano Breaks Out

From a technical perspective, analysts are observing bullish signals for Cardano’s price. Justin Wu pointed out that ADA recently broke out of a descending wedge pattern that had kept its price under pressure since February 2025. This pattern, marked by lower highs and lower lows, had created a bearish trend that finally shifted when volatility tightened near the apex.

Following the breakout in mid-April, ADA gained more than 8%, indicating positive momentum. After this initial surge, Cardano entered a consolidation phase, holding steady above a critical support level of approximately $0.51.

Analysts are now watching for potential resistance levels at $1.2456 and $1.4642. If ADA continues its upward trajectory, these levels could serve as key milestones for the cryptocurrency’s price.

Conclusion

Cardano’s future appears brighter than ever, thanks to its fully operational smart contract capabilities and network stability. With its expanding developer activity, growing use cases for smart contracts, and potential for an ADA ETF approval, Cardano is poised for significant growth. As Lark Davies suggests, the Cardano community should think bigger than ever before, as the network has the potential to achieve even greater heights than it did during the 2021 bull run. With the right catalysts in place, Cardano could see its market capitalization rise to new all-time highs.