How to buy Cardano (ADA) in Singapore

Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain designed for smart contracts and dApps, led by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson.

Designed to be an Ethereum competitor, Cardano began development in 2015, and launched as a testnet on 29 September 2017. The mainnet, called Goguen is slated for launch in April 2021 which will bring long-awaited smart contract functionality to the platform. Despite its relatively slow development process, Cardano’s native ADA token is one of the most popular coins on the market.

Where to buy Cardano Ada tokens

Compare exchanges that sell ADA in the table below on things like payment methods and supported currencies.

Cardano wallets & storage

Once you purchase ADA, you may want to move it to a wallet to keep it safe.

Cardano offers a purpose-built wallet called Deadalus. It’s a secure multi-function desktop wallet that can be exported to a paper wallet for extra security. Currently it only supports ADA, but will eventually offer multi-cryptocurrency support.

To make using Deadalus more secure, you may want to use it with a hardware wallet that keeps your private keys secure on a hardware device.

Compare hardware wallets

What is Cardano and how does it work?

Note: Cardano is still under development. Not all of the features described below are active at the time of writing.

In order to achieve its goal of being the most practical cryptocurrency ever made, Cardano is created from the ground up instead of borrowing features from existing blockchains.

One of the main features of the Cardano system is the multi-layer design:

• The settlement layer. This is the layer that operates the ADA tokens.
• The computing layer. This layer can run smart contracts, recognise individual users and perform other functions.

Bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies have all of these functions in one layer. This multi-layer system brings some features that developers may find useful.

• Upgradeability. The system has been specifically designed to allow for relatively smooth and easy upgrades with soft forks. The multi-layer design allows for each layer to be forked and upgraded separately.
• Adaptability. The computing layer can be adapted in various ways without affecting ADA. For example, to help meet different regulatory requirements in different countries without needing to make one-size-fits-all changes to the ADA cryptocurrency.
• Privacy with compliance. Users can get privacy for their transactions even though the computing layer is able to recognise individuals. This system is designed to offer a level of anonymity while still allowing compliance with laws around the world.

These layers are supported by the Cardano treasury, which receives a portion of newly minted ADA and transaction fees.

See our guide for a complete run-down of Cardano and its ADA cryptocurrency

Cardano mining

Cardano uses an entirely new mining algorithm called Ouroboros. According to its developers, it’s the first proof-of-stake mining algorithm that’s been mathematically proven to be secure.

Is Cardano trustworthy?

Cardano is entirely open source and patent-free. All its source code is publicly available for scrutiny. People interested in Cardano may find that this not only assists development, but also means any problems can be highlighted quickly. It’s also fronted and developed by some publicly accessible and widely known names.

• The Cardano Foundation: A Swiss-based non-profit designed to serve as a standards body for the Cardano protocol as it evolves over time, and to interface with regulators in different markets.
• IOHK: A software engineering company dedicated to peer-to-peer financial services innovations. IOHK is behind most of Cardano’s technology.
• Emurgo: A registered company formed to interface between Cardano and businesses by offering Cardano as a blockchain business solution.

Things to consider before purchasing Cardano

The developers claim that Cardano is purpose-built to be the only cryptocurrency the world needs, offering an exceptional range of features and usefulness. In particular, it’s designed to work well with regulations and to be accessible to almost anyone, with the ability to tweak functionality to suit local laws and regulations.

Despite Cardano’s lofty goals, it faces stiff competition. Since Cardano began in 2015, many new blockchains have come online with similar goals and are already capable of onboarding users while Cardano’s development lags behind by comparison.

The implementation of the Goguen mainnet in 2021 is likely to be a pivotal moment for Cardano, with the addition of smart contracts and dApps giving it a real chance to compete in the now saturated smart contract (base-layer) market.