Cardano (ADA) is trading higher on September 22 after ADA was added as a payment option to the x402 software kit, bringing the token into the growing market for AI-driven payments.
The move comes as activity on the Cardano network picks up, while futures open interest has climbed to its highest level in several months.
ADA was trading around $0.245 at the time of writing, up 5.31% on the day. Daily trading volume has also crossed $1.04 billion, according to CoinGecko.
ADA Added to x402 for AI Agent Payments
The x402 software kit now supports ADA payments, giving developers access to tools that allow applications and AI agents to make payments using Cardano’s native token.
The Cardano Foundation said in a recent X post that its x402 specification was merged in June. The team then developed the client, server and facilitator components needed to verify and submit transactions.
JUST IN: Cardano is now part of the official x402 SDK.
Any app or AI agent can pay for an API call in $ADA or any CNT over a web request. No account, no API key, no checkout page.
Every service already on x402 can switch Cardano on.
The agent economy just got a Cardano rail. pic.twitter.com/SWZHczf9oC
— Cardano Foundation (@Cardano_CF) September 21, 2026
ADA joins several other crypto assets already supported by x402, including XRP, Solana, Stellar and NEAR.
The addition comes while Cardano is also considering an OpenZeppelin governance proposal. If approved, the initiative would bring OpenZeppelin’s open-source software stack to Cardano, with the goal of supporting greater use of the network by DeFi applications and institutions.
Cardano Active Addresses Jump 57%
Network activity has also accelerated.
According to DeFiLlama, Cardano recorded 22,154 active addresses on September 21, up from 14,038 the previous day. That represents a 57% increase in daily active addresses.
Cardano’s DeFi total value locked (TVL) has also risen to $65.85 million, its highest level since August 11.
The increase in activity comes as the broader crypto market moves higher, with stronger buying pressure pushing the market sentiment gauge toward extreme greed.
ADA Open Interest Approaches a 9-Month High
Futures activity has picked up alongside the spot market.
CoinGlass data shows Cardano’s open interest reached $586 million on September 22, marking its highest level since January 31.
For comparison, open interest stood at around $404 million on September 16. That means more than $180 million has been added in less than a week.
Funding data also points toward a stronger long bias. The weighted funding rate has reached 0.01%, while the long-to-short ratios on Binance and OKX have risen to 2.52 and 1.94, respectively.
These figures indicate that derivatives traders are currently holding more long exposure than short exposure.
ADA Price Could Target $0.30
From a technical perspective, ADA has moved above the $0.22 resistance associated with a bullish W-shaped pattern.
A short-term pullback toward $0.22 remains possible if traders take profits. If that level holds as support, the pattern points toward a potential move to around $0.26.
Momentum indicators are also currently positive. The MACD remains above zero, while the Awesome Oscillator is printing increasingly larger green bars.
If ADA clears the $0.26 area and broader crypto market strength continues, the next major psychological level to watch would be $0.30.
On the other hand, a loss of momentum could send ADA back toward the $0.22 support level.
