- The mainnet bug slowed Cardano’s block production but did not halt the chain.
- ADA’s price plunged as market pressure and criticism intensified.
- Concerns grew about the network’s readiness ahead of the Midnight mainnet launch.
Cardano has come under scrutiny after a mainnet bug slowed block production, worsening an already bearish market sentiment.
The disruption came at a tense moment for the broader crypto market, pushing ADA deeper into decline and renewing questions about the network’s preparedness for upcoming milestones.
Mainnet glitch triggers network jitter
The slowdown in block production began after Cardano (ADA) experienced a technical issue on its mainnet, mirroring a problem that had surfaced in the Preview environment a day earlier.
According to Intersect, the member-based organization that helps coordinate development across the ecosystem, the bug did not stop block production entirely but did cause a significant slowdown.
Engineers from Intersect, the Cardano Foundation, and Input Output Global responded quickly to diagnose the issue and coordinate a fix.
Node operators running version 10.3.1 or later were advised to upgrade to Cardano Node 10.5.2, a release designed to address hash-size inconsistencies and a network bug related to peer selection.
Operators using older software versions were not required to take action, and Daedalus wallet users remained unaffected.
Despite these assurances, the visible congestion raised concern among community members closely monitoring chain activity.
Following an issue identified in the Preview environment yesterday, Cardano is currently experiencing a technical issue now on Mainnet.
Currently block production has slowed, and we’re working closely with @Cardano_CF and @InputOutputHK as we coordinate a technical response.…
— Intersect (@IntersectMBO) November 21, 2025
At the time the bug appeared, the network was preparing for increased activity ahead of the Midnight sidechain launch scheduled for December 8.
While some users downplayed the incident—pointing out that only certain node versions experienced interruptions and that the broader network continued to operate, albeit at a reduced pace—others warned the slowdown could point to deeper scalability challenges.
Market reacts as ADA extends losses
The bug hit during an already fragile period for crypto markets, and ADA quickly became one of the worst performers in the session.
Cardano (ADA) dropped 12.86% over 24 hours, falling from $0.4697 to as low as $0.3911 before staging a modest recovery.
This decline notably outpaced the broader market’s 7.76% drop, heightening concerns about ADA’s short-term resilience.
Negative sentiment was further fueled by renewed talk of Cardano as a “ghost chain,” revived by critics who pointed to relatively low stablecoin activity on Cardano and modest decentralized exchange volumes compared with larger networks.
With renewed analysis of adoption metrics, the mainnet bug added another layer of pressure, creating what some analysts called a “perfect storm” that accelerated selling across trading venues.
Technically, ADA falling below the key $0.40 support level triggered algorithmic selling and additional liquidations.
Indicators such as a sharply lower RSI in deeply oversold territory and a bearish MACD crossover signaled weakening momentum.
The next major support now sits near $0.33 unless ADA can reclaim $0.44, a level that previously acted as a short-term pivot.