Rollercoaster ride
There appears to be no half measures for Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain platform Cardano in terms of where it sees itself in five years.
Its “Vision 2030” document, which details where it wants to be at the end of the decade, points to a company determined to crack the crypto market wide open.
Some analysts will argue that the goals contained in the document are far too lofty.
Cardano’s ADA token is one of those cryptocurrencies that no one is ever entirely sure about.
Just when the Cardano price looks to be in its death throes, an event triggers renewed interest and belief that ADA will stay the course.
A good example is the surge in on-chain activity that accompanied the launch of its Midnight sidechain in late 2025.
Within the space of 24 hours, trading volume grew from $6.39 million to $16.11 million.
Big ambitions
So, what exactly are the goals Cardano sets out in the Vision 2030 document?
For one, it wants to achieve 324 million transactions.
For another, it aims to have a million active wallets on the platform.
Thirdly, by the time the next decade starts its Total Value Locked (TVL) must be around $3 million.
These ambitions are not insurmountable, but to achieve them Cardano will need to shake off a lot of what has made it stand out among competitors.
Since launching, Cardano has adopted a peer-review approach to instil greater confidence among crypto investors.
While that has happened to a certain agree, it has not been nearly enough to keep up with competitors who have recognised that speed, cost and usability are the sweet spots investors are looking for.
The standout point about Cardano’s approach going forward is that is changing tack to focus heavily on revenue, capital efficiency and uptime – all aspects familiar to traditional investors and financial institutions.
Building block for blocks
The Vision 2030 document also offers information about Cardano’s approach to infrastructure going forward.
Author Intersect, which ensures Cardano’s network’s continuity, all but acknowledges that there has almost been a haphazard “startup” mentality in how the platform is run.
The idea is to now create a bona fide “operating system” with an uptime benchmark of 99.98%.
From now on, any five-minute interval without a block will be deemed a “meaningful failure event”.
Still, the document also makes it clear that it will never adhere to a “speed at all costs” approach, with the authors believing reliability still trumps speed, particularly when going after traditional finance investors.
A significant shift
The big question is whether Cardano is being realistic in its targets.
Compared to crypto rivals like Bitcoin and Ethereum it is still in diapers and, in many respects, it needs to walk before it can run.
The Vision 2030 documents does suggest it is on the right track, however.
By all accounts, the advent of the “operating model” gives it the necessary infrastructure to make a serious run at its more successful competitors, though only time will tell whether this happens.