Cardano / ADA — Frequently Asked Questions

First, go through this checklist in order. Most cases fall under one of these:

• ✔︎Is your wallet actually delegated? Check the dashboard (Yoroi-type wallets) or the Delegation Center (Daedalus). If it doesn't say you are delegating, you need to delegate first.
• ✔︎The FIRST reward arrives about 15–20 days after you delegate (Cardano's schedule works in 5-day 'epochs', and the first payout takes 3–4 epochs). Zero rewards during this period is normal.
• ✔︎Right after an epoch boundary, rewards can take a few hours to show up correctly. Wait half a day and check again.
• ✔︎Did your pool produce blocks? Search your pool on pooltool.io (or adastat.net). If the previous epoch's blocks are 0, the pool either had bad luck (normal for small pools) or has an operational problem. If you want to know which, ask the pool operator.
• ✔︎Rewards ARE there but you can't WITHDRAW them? Since 2025 withdrawal requires a governance setting (DRep delegation or Abstain) — see the DRep question.

If none of these apply, it may be a display bug in the wallet. Contact support: Daedalus → Help → Support request. For Yoroi, see the note in the wallet section below (the support situation changed in 2026).

The five facts that answer 90% of staking-mechanism questions:

• ✔︎No lock, ever. Delegated ADA stays in YOUR wallet and can be sent or sold at any time — there is no 'unstaking wait period' like other chains.
• ✔︎The whole wallet is delegated as one unit — you can't pick an amount. ADA you buy and add later is automatically included from the next snapshot.
• ✔︎Rewards compound automatically. Paid rewards are counted as stake even before you 'withdraw' them — withdrawing is only needed when you want to SPEND them, and does not affect your yield.
• ✔︎The rhythm is 5-day 'epochs': first reward 3–4 epochs (~15–20 days) after delegating, then every 5 days. Switching pools keeps rewards flowing with no gap (the old pool pays for ~2 more epochs).
• ✔︎Yield is roughly 2–3%/year currently and slowly declines by design (the reward reserve shrinks over time). Displayed 'ROA' is usually after pool fees.

DRep = Delegated Representative, the governance voting system Cardano started in 2024. You delegate your VOTING power (how treasury money is spent, protocol changes etc.) — completely separate from stake-pool delegation.

• ✔︎TRUE: since early 2025, WITHDRAWING staking rewards requires that your wallet has set a governance choice — a specific DRep, or the built-in options 'Abstain' / 'No Confidence'. Rewards keep accumulating either way; only the withdrawal is gated.
• ✔︎Delegating voting power NEVER moves or risks your ADA. The wallet asks for your spending password because it's an on-chain transaction — that is normal and safe.
• ✔︎How: most wallets (Lace, Eternl, Typhon, Yoroi era etc.) have a 'Governance' tab — pick a DRep or Abstain there. Choose DReps by their published voting record and rationale.

Browse DReps' actual voting records on this site: Governance dashboard

Sorry — nobody here can answer this, and that's on purpose:

The Cardano project and this community are platforms only. We do not review or give investment advice on any crypto asset. Every decision — trading, holding, valuation — is entirely your own responsibility. Prices of ADA and other assets go up and down all the time, including right after you buy or sell.

As a reference, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson's stance on price questions (pieced together from his AMAs) was summarized here: forum.cardano.org（AMA要約） (Note: this is an old compilation from around 2020–2021; his core message — 'focus on adoption and technology, not short-term price' — has stayed consistent.)

Work through these steps in order:

1. Check you have the latest version listed on the official site. If not, download and install it (no need to uninstall the old one): daedaluswallet.io
2. If Daedalus shows you an instruction, follow it. If you don't understand it even after searching, use Help → Support request.
3. If there is no instruction, restart the whole PC and open Daedalus again. Still stuck? → Help → Support request.

In a genuine hurry (tax deadline, compromised phrase, etc.)? You don't have to wait for Daedalus: restore the same recovery phrase in a maintained light wallet (e.g. Lace, Eternl, Typhon) and send from there. It syncs in minutes. (Older guides recommended Yoroi here — see the Yoroi note below before doing that.)

This can be serious. Stay calm and go in this order (for exact steps, proceed carefully while asking the wallet's official support):

1. Search everywhere for your recovery phrase — notebooks, safes, old screenshots, anywhere you may have written it.
2. If you can still send funds: create a brand-new wallet (new phrase) and move the funds there.
3. If you cannot send: ask the wallet's official support how to regain access. If you can back up the wallet's data folder to a USB drive first, that may help.

• ✔︎Forgot your spending password / PIN? You set it yourself at some point — try the candidates you might have used, one by one. EXCEPTION: hardware wallets and some apps wipe themselves after a few wrong tries. Check the rules before brute-forcing.
• ✔︎Old Daedalus that can't send: the 'import wallet' feature of a newer Daedalus may be able to read it.

Using Yoroi? A balance that suddenly stopped displaying is most likely the SecondFi situation — see the next question: Yoroi / SecondFi

Short answer: Yoroi's operator became 'SecondFi', which suffered a major security incident in June 2026. The app now runs in a view-only 'quarantine mode' and the service is winding down — that is why the look changed and balances may not display.

• ✔︎Your ADA lives on the blockchain, not inside the app — 'balance not showing' does NOT mean 'funds gone'.
• ✔︎Do NOT delete the app or the old wallet — it may be needed for the official recovery process.
• ✔︎Scams targeting victims are rampant: nobody legitimate will DM you, ask for your recovery phrase or ticket number, or tell you to 'restore your Yoroi into another wallet'. Ignore all of it.

What to do next (check your impact, official migration tool, timelines, NIGHT) is all in our dedicated guide — conclusions first, with real screenshots: SecondFi incident — recovery guide

Key concept: your ADA lives on the blockchain, and the wallet app is just a keyholder. With the recovery phrase you can open the SAME wallet on any device and any standard wallet app — no sending needed, and the old device doesn't even have to work.

• ✔︎Steps: install the wallet app on the new device (official site only) → 'Restore wallet' → enter the phrase → confirm the SAME balance appears → then remove the wallet from the old device.
• ✔︎Word count tells the generation: 24 words = Daedalus (Shelley), 15 words = Yoroi-type (Shelley), 12 words = old Byron era. Standard wallets (Daedalus / Lace / Eternl / Typhon etc.) can restore each other's 15/24-word phrases.
• ✔︎'Restored but balance is 0' is almost always a wrong choice of word-count / generation on the restore screen (it silently opens a DIFFERENT empty wallet). Redo the restore with the right type — your funds are not gone.
• ✔︎Type the phrase ONLY inside the genuine wallet app — never into a website, form or 'support' chat. And restoring on a second device means the keys exist in both places: delete the old one when done.

First: if the transaction is confirmed on-chain (look it up on cardanoscan.io with the Tx ID), your funds are NOT lost — the delay is on the exchange's side. The most common causes:

• ✔︎#1 cause in Japan: the travel rule. Domestic exchanges often hold incoming crypto until you declare the SENDER (your own wallet) in their app — look for a notice like '入金元情報の登録' and complete it; the balance then appears.
• ✔︎Withdrawal blocked? Usually it's the fee: sending ALL your ADA leaves nothing for the network fee — leave a small buffer. Exchanges may also pause withdrawals for identity re-verification or after long inactivity.
• ✔︎NEVER send Cardano-native tokens or NFTs to an exchange's ADA address — exchanges only credit ADA, and other tokens sent there are effectively lost. Send only ADA.
• ✔︎Basics that prevent 90% of trouble: always send a small test amount first; pick the 'Cardano' network (not BSC etc.) when withdrawing from overseas exchanges; fees are ~0.2 ADA per transaction.

Short answer: almost any reasonably recent device is fine — don't overthink specs.

• ✔︎Using Daedalus: any PC meeting the official requirements works: daedaluswallet.io
• ✔︎Other wallets: they run on pretty much any modern PC or smartphone.

For security, HOW you use the device matters far more than which device you own (separate browser profiles, no shady extensions, keeping the phrase offline, etc.). See the security section below.

We stay neutral and don't endorse a single wallet. As of August 2026, actively maintained wallets that support ADA staking include (alphabetical): Daedalus (full node), Eternl, Gero, Lace (by IOG, Cardano's founding engineering company), NuFi, Typhon, VESPR. Pick based on your needs — full node vs. light, mobile vs. desktop, hardware-wallet support.

How to choose and use a hardware wallet safely → see the dedicated question below: Hardware wallets & passphrase / Note: MetaMask cannot hold ADA → ADA basics

Good news: on Cardano your ADA is NEVER locked by staking. You can send or sell at any time without any 'unstaking wait'. So in most cases you don't need to do anything special — just use your ADA.

• ✔︎Want to fully close out? Wallets have a 'deregister staking key' (undelegate) function — doing this returns the 2 ADA deposit you paid when you first delegated. The menu name differs by wallet (e.g. 'Deregister', '委任解除').
• ✔︎Note: rewards already earned but not yet withdrawn are collected automatically during deregistration in most wallets.

If you remember only three things: (1) your recovery phrase lives on paper or metal, offline, shown to no one; (2) for larger amounts, use a hardware wallet; (3) anyone who rushes you, DMs you first, or asks for your phrase is a scammer. Details below — start at Level 1 and add layers as your holdings grow.

• ✔︎Write your recovery phrase on PAPER. Never photograph it, never type it into a memo app, never store it in the cloud, never enter it into any website — and never into an AI chat or assistant either. A phone photo is especially dangerous now: cloud photo services auto-OCR images, turning your phrase into searchable text on a server.
• ✔︎Get wallet URLs from your own BOOKMARKS, not from search results, ads, social links — or AI chatbot answers (AI can cite outdated or fake URLs). Fake wallet apps and clone download sites are the classic way funds get stolen, and AI has made clones cheap to produce.
• ✔︎Before sending, re-check the destination address after pasting — and beware 'address poisoning': scammers send you dust from an address whose FIRST AND LAST characters match your real contacts, hoping you copy it from your history. Never copy addresses from transaction history; always copy fresh from the recipient's Receive screen, and verify a generous chunk of characters.
• ✔︎Don't leave ADA sitting on an exchange — move it to your own wallet. Keep your OS and apps updated, and don't install browser extensions you don't clearly need.
• ✔︎Know this: staking never requires sending ADA anywhere. If something asks you to 'deposit ADA to stake', it's a scam.

• ✔︎Get a hardware wallet — bought NEW from the maker's official site only (never second-hand, never from marketplace resellers: tampered devices exist). Buying a spare helps against device failure.
• ✔︎Use a long, strong spending password (mix of upper/lower case, numbers, symbols) and a password manager. Don't reuse passwords across services.
• ✔︎Exchange accounts: protect them with a passkey or authenticator app, not SMS. SMS codes and phone-call verification are increasingly beaten by SIM-swap and AI voice attacks.
• ✔︎Separate your crypto environment: a dedicated browser profile — or better, a dedicated device — used only for ADA, with no random browsing, no unrelated apps, locked when you step away.
• ✔︎Before sending a device for repair: confirm you have the recovery phrase, then remove wallet apps and password managers from it.

• ✔︎Add an extra passphrase ('25th word') on top of the hardware wallet, and engrave the phrase on metal plates (e.g. Cryptosteel) instead of paper — fire/water-proof — stored in multiple separate secure places.
• ✔︎Never tell anyone how much you hold. If your identity and holdings are known, the risk becomes physical (the so-called '$5 wrench attack'). Consider home physical security too (locks, cameras, or a security service).

The old tells are gone: AI writes flawless Japanese, and deepfakes make video and voice of famous people — or even your acquaintances — look completely real. So never judge by how genuine something looks or sounds. Judge only by WHAT IS BEING ASKED:

• ✔︎Asks for your recovery phrase → scam, 100% of the time. Support desks, airdrops, 'wallet sync repair', AI support bots — no legitimate service ever needs your phrase.
• ✔︎Asks you to send funds first ('double your ADA' giveaways — including live-streamed videos of famous people, which are deepfakes), to share your screen, or to install remote-control software → scam.
• ✔︎Rushes you ('only a few hours left!') or plays on fear ('your wallet will be locked') → scam. IOG, the Cardano Foundation and EMURGO never send urgent messages, never call, and never DM first.
• ✔︎Support that DMs you first, celebrity giveaways, and 'trusted friends' who eventually ask to borrow your PC or wallet → scam patterns, including long-con relationships built over months.
• ✔︎When in doubt, ask the community BEFORE sending. A transaction cannot be undone after the fact.

Sources / further reading: full 3-step guide (JP) ・ by holding size (JP) ・ hardware wallets (JP) ・ IOG official guidelines ・ common scams ・ our HW wallet guide

• ✔︎Buy NEW, from the maker's official site only. Never Amazon marketplace, auctions, flea-market apps or resellers — tampered devices exist.
• ✔︎On arrival, check the tamper seal and run the genuineness check in the official app (Ledger Live / Trezor Suite etc.).
• ✔︎A genuine device arrives with NO recovery phrase set. If a phrase card is already filled in ('use this seed'), it's a scam — don't use it, return it.

• ✔︎Initialize as NEW: the device generates a fresh recovery phrase on its own screen. Write it on paper, keep offline — never photograph it or type it into a PC/phone/website.
• ✔︎Verify the receive address on the DEVICE's screen before using it — malware can swap pasted addresses. Send a small test amount first, confirm it arrives, then move the rest.
• ✔︎Staking delegation and governance votes are also signed on the device — approve each operation on the hardware screen.
• ✔︎A hardware wallet never asks you to type the recovery phrase on your PC. If a popup asks for it, that's malware.

The recovery phrase (24 words) is the master key: anyone who gets it can open your wallet. A passphrase (the '25th word') creates a second, hidden wallet that the 24 words alone cannot open. Keep a small decoy amount in the normal wallet and the real funds in the hidden one — even if your 24 words leak, the thief finds only the decoy. (In the July 2026 Coldcard incident, exactly this defense protected users.)

Safe procedure: set the passphrase → send a small amount → disconnect once → reopen with the passphrase and confirm the balance → only then move the main funds.

Full guides on this site: Hardware wallet guide ・ Passphrase guide

If funds were stolen, act in this order:

1. Move whatever remains to a brand-new wallet (new phrase, made on a clean device) immediately.
2. Record the theft transaction ID (find it on cardanoscan.io). If the thief sent funds to an exchange, report to that exchange's support with the Tx ID — exchanges can freeze accounts.
3. File a police report (cyber crime desk). The report number also helps with a possible casualty-loss tax deduction — confirm with a tax professional.

Unknown tokens / NFTs that just appeared: receiving them is harmless (anyone can send to any address — often spam advertising or phishing bait). Just IGNORE them: don't open URLs written in them, don't try to sell or interact. They can sit in your wallet forever without risk.

For neutrality, we don't recommend specific pools. A good explainer of pool-choosing criteria and staking terms, written jointly by multiple international ambassadors (Japanese translation):

cardano-community.github.io — How to choose a pool

Estimate your rewards: Staking simulator

Midnight is a privacy-focused network closely related to Cardano. Its token NIGHT was distributed free to ADA holders (and holders of 7 other chains) — the largest airdrop in Cardano history, which is why questions about it dominate every community chat.

• ✔︎The claim phase (Glacier Drop, based on the June 11, 2025 snapshot) is over. What's running NOW is redemption: claimed NIGHT unlocks 25% at a time, every 90 days, and you redeem each unlocked portion yourself on the official portal — it is NOT sent automatically.
• ✔︎You need a few ADA in the receiving wallet for network fees, and the redemption portal is the ONLY legitimate place — anyone offering to 'help by DM' is a scammer.
• ✔︎NIGHT is a Cardano-native token: it sits in normal Cardano wallets (Lace, Eternl etc.). Japanese exchanges don't list it yet; trading happens on Cardano DEXes or overseas venues.

Step-by-step redemption guide (per-wallet, real screens, deadlines — redemption portal runs to Dec 2026 / March 2027 grace): NIGHT redemption guide

Short answer: no. Cardano upgrades via the 'hard fork combinator', which switches the whole chain over smoothly — the chain does NOT split, and no new coins appear. Holders don't need to move funds or 'protect' anything.

• ✔︎Just keep your wallet app updated to the latest official version.
• ✔︎Exchanges may pause deposits/withdrawals for hours around the boundary — if you plan to move funds, do it beforehand.

Short answer: Catalyst as you may remember it has essentially been discontinued. A small pilot has restarted, but with a substantially redesigned mechanism — the old routine of 'register every Fund, vote on the app, receive rewards' no longer applies as-is.

Background: Catalyst was Cardano's community funding program — ADA holders voted on project proposals in numbered rounds ('Funds'), and voters received small ADA rewards.

• ✔︎The old mobile-app + QR-code + PIN registration method is retired. If a new round opens, check the official site for the current method — old guides will mislead you.
• ✔︎Past voting rewards arrived automatically at your stake address weeks after each round — you can still find them in your wallet's transaction history. In Japan they are taxable income (treated like staking rewards).

Official: projectcatalyst.io

• ✔︎No — MetaMask is for Ethereum-type (EVM) chains, and Cardano is a different architecture. Sending ADA to a MetaMask address loses it. Use Cardano wallets (Daedalus, Lace, Eternl, Typhon etc.). 'ADA' sold on other chains (BEP-20 etc.) is a wrapped copy, not the real thing.
• ✔︎ADA's three jobs: paying transaction fees on the network, staking (securing the chain and earning rewards), and governance voting power. Tokens and NFTs on Cardano also ride in the same wallet and pay fees in ADA.
• ✔︎Fees are about 0.2 ADA per transaction (fixed-ish, not congestion-priced), and the chain has run without a single outage since 2017.

Short answer: yes, a path still exists. Individual redemption support for remaining holders is still being handled (by Sawyers, the firm engaged for the redemption effort). And even after that ends, a goodwill remedy has been announced: until October 1, 2028, Charles Hoskinson will offer unredeemed buyers a refund in Japanese yen — or a refund plus the option to purchase at the original price. This is an extra-contractual, voluntary gesture, not a legal obligation.

Background (from the independent forensic audit published Sept 2, 2025 by McDermott Will & Emery + BDO): over 99% of vouchers were redeemed — 120 vouchers (0.8% of holders, about 76.67M ADA = 0.3%) remained at the time of the report. The audit found no misconduct: sales terms had preventive safeguards (Attain even halted 17 sales), and buyers aged 65+ were only ~6% of the total. During the manual-redemption years the team sent 4,269 emails, 872 letters, made 3,235 calls and 402 in-person visits, successfully redeeming 246 more holders; the remainder was moved to Cardano Development Holdings for ecosystem and Intersect costs.

• ✔︎If you hold an unredeemed certificate / redemption key: keep it absolutely private and use ONLY official channels — the Japanese summary with details is here: Cardano Forum (JP summary of the audit) / IOG support: iohk.zendesk.com
• ✔︎Presale buyers remain a prime scam target — buyer lists leaked long ago, and 'we can redeem it for you' phone calls, letters or emails are ALL scams, now often with perfect Japanese and convincing paperwork. No legitimate party ever contacts you first or asks for the key.

Paste one of your wallet's receiving addresses (addr1...) below — the per-epoch statement with JPY values appears right here, with CSV download.

How Japanese tax treats staking rewards (income at receipt, cost basis at sale) — plain-language explainer and calculator: Staking & Japanese taxes