Cardano User Loses $6 Million in ADA-USDA Slippage

Key Points:

  • The lack of liquidity led to a substantial loss when a dormant wallet was reactivated.
  • Market unrest was fueled by slippage and low liquidity pools.
  • Experts emphasize the importance of liquidity management and user education.

A Cardano user swapped 14.4 million ADA (~$6.9 million) for 847,000 USDA, incurring a $6.05 million loss due to shallow liquidity, as noted by blockchain investigator ZachXBT.

This highlights vulnerabilities in decentralized exchanges where large trades in low-liquidity pools can lead to significant losses, impacting Cardano’s market stability and user confidence.

Significant ADA Loss Stirs Community and Market Concerns

Cardano community members were alerted by ZachXBT, an independent blockchain investigator, about a dormant wallet trade involving 14.4 million ADA for 847,000 USDA. “This is a textbook example of why traders avoid illiquid pools.” The transaction, occurring in a low-liquidity pool, resulted in a loss nearing $6.05 million. The owner of the involved wallet remains unidentified.

Market fluctuations were linked to the illiquidity of the USDA pool, causing slippage. Consequently, ADA exhibited a notable price reduction exceeding 10% over the past week. Concerns over liquidity have escalated, particularly with decentralized exchanges on Cardano.

Experts suggest increased awareness and emerging discussions on slippage avoidance tools. No official statements have been issued by Cardano’s founder, Charles Hoskinson, or other project executives on this significant trade error. The event serves as a warning within the decentralized finance community.

Historical Context, Price Data, and Expert Analysis

Did you know? In past incidents like these, misjudgments in trade executions on decentralized platforms often lead to significant financial losses, similar to events witnessed in Ethereum’s DeFi ecosystem.

According to CoinMarketCap, Cardano (ADA) is priced at $0.49 with a market capitalization of $17.75 billion. The token has experienced a 21.86% drop over the last 30 days and a 46.31% decline in 90 days. Trading volumes recently surged, yet ADA’s value decreased 1.57% in 24 hours. It holds a 0.55% market dominance.

cardano-daily-chart-17

Cardano(ADA), daily chart, screenshot on CoinMarketCap at 08:38 UTC on November 17, 2025. Source: CoinMarketCap

Experts suggest vigilance and strategic enhancements in liquidity management are essential to mitigate repetitive user errors. Historical trends show sporadic large-scale trades inadvertently depleting liquidity, highlighting an evident need for comprehensive user education and innovative safeguards. Cardano whale moves $6M after hitting USDA pool

Source: https://coincu.com/markets/cardano-user-ada-usda-loss/