[Digital Today reporter Yoonseo Lee] Riley, a senior engineer at Cardano developer IOG, predicted that a $2,800 (about 4 million won) investment in Cardano could break above $10,000 (about 15 million won) within 4 years.

According to blockchain outlet The Crypto Basic on Feb. 19, the cryptocurrency market has not fully regained the bullish momentum of the 2020 to 2021 cycle. Cardano also hit a high of $3.10 in September 2021, then fell more than 90 percent and failed to form a clear rebound trend. This has fueled growing dissatisfaction among investors and the community.

Amid this mood, key community figures are again placing more weight on the possibility of a Cardano rebound. The official X (formerly Twitter) account of Hosky Token recently highlighted Cardano’s decline over the past 4 years, saying, "If you invested $10,000 4 years ago, the current value is about $2,800." It added that the value fell about 72 percent from February 2022 to February 2026.

Riley took a different view, saying, "If you invest the same $2,800 now, it could become more than $10,000 by 2030." The forecast assumes a return of about 3.57 times and suggests Cardano could reach at least $1 by 2030. That target would represent a rise of about 257 percent from the current level of about $0.28.

It was also mentioned that reaching $1 does not necessarily presuppose an extreme bull market. Cardano traded above $1 in March 2025 and rose to as high as $0.96 in August of that year.

Outside forecasts are also broadly optimistic. Analysts at cryptocurrency prediction platform Changelly projected Cardano’s price at a minimum of $1.69 in January 2030 and $2.85 by year-end. Telegaon also suggested the possibility of a rise to $12.38 to $15.08 by 2030.

Expectations have also emerged that the 'Leios' upgrade to improve Cardano’s scalability, cross-chain integration with Bitcoin and the XRP Ledger (XRPL), and expansion of decentralised finance (DeFi) could support network utility and adoption. Still, as these forecasts are only estimates, some also point to the need for a cautious approach rather than directly applying long-term price predictions to investment decisions.

Ultimately, Cardano’s future trajectory is expected to depend on execution of its development roadmap, the pace of ecosystem expansion, and whether broader market risk appetite recovers. The industry is watching whether key upgrades translate into actual usability and demand, and whether prices can reclaim major resistance levels and generate signals of a trend reversal.

$2800 invested in ADA today is >$10000 4 years from now. (Not financial advice) https://t.co/xiu5PeP7xs