Centralized Exchanges
Centralized exchanges (CEXs) are platforms where cryptocurrencies and other digital assets are traded. They act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers, facilitating transactions and often providing additional services such as custodial storage, order matching, and regulatory compliance. Note that CEXs have custody over ada and other native tokens until you send them to a wallet that you control.
Listing here does not imply endorsement. This data is crowd-sourced by the community. Visit CoinMarketCap to see a full list of exchanges that support ada.
Decentralized Exchanges
Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) are platforms for trading cryptocurrencies that operate without a central authority. They allow users to trade directly with each other (peer-to-peer) through automated processes facilitated by smart contracts. You keep your ada in your own wallet instead of handing it to an exchange, but smart contracts carry their own risks, and every trade is public on the blockchain.
Minswap
Multi-pool decentralized exchange on Cardano with deep liquidity, yield farming, and one of the highest-volume venues for native token swaps.
WingRiders
Native AMM DEX on Cardano focused on fast settlement and predictable fees, with stableswap pools and an integrated yield-farming layer.
SundaeSwap
Native, scalable Cardano AMM DEX with automated liquidity provision, yield farming, and an order-book overlay built on Plutus.
Splash
Open-source decentralized protocol for efficient market-making and trading on Cardano, with batched settlement and gas-efficient routing.
CSWAP
CSWAP Systems is a next-gen decentralized exchange (DEX) that bridges tokens, NFTs, and real-world assets in one seamless trading ecosystem.
More DEXes
Explore 4 more DEXs
DEXs are not suitable for beginners, as you must already have ada to use them. Listing here does not imply endorsement. Transaction data is based on the last 30 days.
Receive ada
To hold ada yourself, you need a Cardano wallet.
Once you have a Cardano wallet, share its receiving address with anyone who wants to send you ada (or other native tokens) peer-to-peer. To send ada, enter the recipient's address in your wallet and approve the transaction.
Some wallets let you purchase crypto with a debit/credit card, bank transfer, or Apple Pay. Availability depends on your location.
Project Catalyst
Project Catalyst is Cardano's community innovation fund. It pays ada to proposals that the community votes for. Visit Project Catalyst to see whether a funding round is open.
Catalyst is one of several routes. The grants and funding page lists grants, treasury proposals, accelerators, and venture funds, and says who each one is for.
Staking rewards
If you already have some ada, you can earn more by delegating your ada to a stake pool. This allows you to participate in the network's proof-of-stake system and earn rewards. Alternatively, you can run your own stake pool, which takes more effort, technical knowledge and a refundable 500 ada pool deposit.
Cardano offers several advantages for staking. Registering your stake key takes a refundable deposit of 2 ada. Beyond that, there is no minimum amount. There is no risk of slashing (losing your staked ada) and no locking period. Your ada stays in your wallet, so you can spend it at any time. Rewards are paid by the protocol itself, not by the pools.
New to Cardano? What is Cardano explains the platform in plain terms, and the learning path takes you on from there step by step.
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