Summary: Cardano is not an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible blockchain, which means it is not supported by MetaMask. The current most popular online crypto wallet for Cardano DeFi is Daedalus. However, this is an online hot wallet which may present some risks to users.
We recommend always opting for secure offline wallets like the Ledger Nano S which offers secure Cardano storage and staking. They also offer over 5,000 other cryptocurrencies and are the world's most trusted institutional-grade crypto wallet.
- The Ledger Nano S is the most popular Self-Custody offline wallet for Cardano Custody, Staking and DeFi.
- Most secure Crypto Wallet with access to Cardano and over 5,000 Crypto Assets across a variety of networks.
- Native DeFi applications like AAVE, UniSwap, SushiSwap and more to safely earn yield on assets.
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Can I add Cardano to my Metamask Wallet?
No, Metamask Wallets only support Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible blockchains like Ethereum, Layer 2's (Optimism or Arbitrum), Avalanche, Fantom, Fuse and others. There are no plans for MetaMask to add Cardano or support the native blockchain Ouroboros in the near future.
That said, the Ouroboros-based Cardano blockchain is releasing an upgrade called Vasil, which may in future support EVM and therefore be compatible with MetaMask. However, there is no official news on this as at time of writing.
How do I get a Cardano Wallet?
If you want to bridge to Ouroboros on Cardano, you will need to download the Daedalus Wallet. This is an open source wallet that was built for the ADA ecosystem and is the most commonly used wallet for Cardano.
The Daedalus Wallet is incredibly intuitive and easy to use, with in-built Cardano staking features and token swapping functionality.
Can I send Cardano tokens to Metamask?
You cannot send your Cardano (ADA) tokens to any Metamask wallet from a cryptocurrency exchange. This is because the Cardano tokens are unique to the Ouroboros blockchain and are not supported on other Layer 1 blockchains like Ethereum, Terra, Solana or Avalanche.
The only non-exchange wallet you can use is the Daedalus Wallet.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Cardano is not currently supported by MetaMask due to its lack of Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility. For secure Cardano storage and staking, we recommend offline wallets like Ledger Nano S. The most commonly used online wallet for Cardano DeFi is Daedalus, which offers in-built staking and token swapping functionality. Cardano tokens cannot be sent to Metamask wallets from cryptocurrency exchanges, as they are unique to the Ouroboros blockchain.
I fell into crypto during the 2017 mania and have been around ever-since. I now write, research and publish my own reports on the digital asset ecosystem.
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