As the market prepares for 2026, some longtime Cardano (ADA) investors are focusing on new projects that show stronger momentum and early upside potential. Although ADA remains a respected name in crypto, recent price action and increasing competition have led analysts and investors to look elsewhere for faster returns.
One project that has attracted this attention is Mutuum Finance (MUTM) – a new DeFi crypto that many believe could be among the best cryptos to watch right now due to its real-world use case, structured presale, and approach to the V1 protocol launch.
Cardano (ADA)
Cardano is currently trading around $0.55, with a market cap near $15 billion. Its blockchain remains one of the most secure and academically developed in the crypto industry, supported by a strong community and consistent development updates. However, despite its innovation in proof-of-stake technology, ADA has struggled to maintain the explosive momentum it has enjoyed in previous market cycles.
Analysts note key resistance levels between $0.60 and $0.75, with additional resistance at $1. For Cardano to surpass these levels, significant new demand would be needed, which has been lacking in recent months as investors favor faster-moving assets.
Price forecasts only suggest a potential upside of 20-25% for ADA in the near term. Its large market capitalization makes it more difficult to achieve large percentage gains, and even as its ecosystem continues to grow, trading volumes remain lower than competitors like Solana or Polygon.
This slower performance has caused early investors who once benefited from ADA’s early rise to seek smaller, higher upside potential tokens, particularly those that are still in the early stages of development and have room to grow. This is where Mutuum Finance (MUTM) comes in.
Mutuum Finance (MUTM)
Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is an upcoming decentralized lending and borrowing protocol designed to make digital asset markets more efficient and transparent. Instead of relying on intermediaries, the platform uses smart contracts to automate and secure each transaction, allowing users to lend cryptocurrencies for a yield or borrow against their holdings while retaining ownership.
The project combines two complementary systems within DeFi lending: pooled markets that pool liquidity for popular assets and isolated markets that provide flexibility for newer or niche tokens. This approach allows Mutuum Finance to balance risk and efficiency, attracting both institutional and retail users.
Presale dynamics and key details
Mutuum Finance has already attracted strong interest from the start. The token, MUTM, is currently priced at $0.035 in Phase 6, a 250% increase from its initial price of $0.01 in Phase 1 earlier this year.
So far, the project has raised $18.6 million, gained 17,900 holders, and sold 796 million tokens. Of the total supply of 4 billion tokens, 45.5% (approximately 1.82 billion) is allocated to pre-sale, ensuring that a large portion of tokens are distributed to early supporters before they register.
According to the latest updates, Phase 6 is now over 86% allocated, meaning the next phase and price increase is quickly approaching. This structured pre-sale system has played a key role in creating consistent demand and creating FOMO among retail investors.
3 reasons why MUTM could surpass ADA
1. ADA’s size limits its benefits
Cardano is already a major blockchain project, and with a market cap in the billions of dollars, it no longer offers the exponential growth potential it once did. Even if ADA doubles, its returns would still be limited compared to smaller projects entering the market with new demand.
Mutuum Finance, on the other hand, is still in its early stages. With a low entry price of $0.035, it offers investors exposure to a point where significant upside is still possible. This is similar to the situation with ADA during its early phases, before its mass adoption.
2. Real connection between public services and income
One of the main advantages of Mutuum Finance is that it is built around real utility rather than stock speculation. Its tokenomics includes a purchase and distribution mechanism – a system in which platform revenue is used to purchase MUTM on the open market and redistribute it to users who stake mtTokens in the security module.
This creates continued demand for token holders and rewards holders based on actual usage of the platform, not hype. Meanwhile, mtTokens serve as interest-bearing receipt tokens that users receive when depositing assets into liquidity pools. These tokens automatically accumulate yield as borrowers pay interest, allowing users to earn passive income while maintaining full on-chain transparency.
Cardano, in comparison, focuses on network development and governance, but does not directly connect token demand to platform revenue, limiting utility-based ADA’s growth potential.
3. Timing and market positioning
Many investors view timing as the key to outsized returns. With the launch of Mutuum Finance Protocol V1 confirmed for Q4 2025 on the Sepolia testnet, the project is at the stage where early involvement often leads to the highest rewards.
The initial release will include Liquidity Pool, mtTokens, Debt Tokens and Liquidator Bot, giving the market a first look at Mutuum’s real-world use case. ETH and USDT will be supported as the first lending and collateral assets, ensuring strong liquidity and accessibility from day one.
This timing aligns perfectly with investor sentiment, as many early Cardano holders are now moving toward early-stage DeFi protocols that could mirror ADA’s initial surge from 2017 to 2021.
Growing confidence before launch
With Phase 6 almost sold out, MUTM’s $0.035 price may not last much longer. The upcoming V1 launch and ongoing development progress have made the project one of the most talked about in the DeFi crypto sector this quarter.
Although Cardano remains an important layer of the blockchain ecosystem, its slower price action has opened the door for early-stage projects like Mutuum Finance to attract investor attention. The combination of proven audit results, structured token demand, and active pre-sale participation positions MUTM as one of the top crypto coins to watch heading into 2026.
For more information on Mutuum Finance (MUTM), visit the links below:
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