Save 30% on a Ledger Nano Color. Use COLOR30 at checkout.

Shop Now

Cardano wallet

The best wallet for your Cardano

Secure your Cardano assets with the most trusted wallet. Cold storage wallets are encrypted devices that store your Cardano coins offline, providing a layer of security against the evolving threats emerging from being connected to the internet.
Discover our wallet

How to use Cardano with Ledger

What is Cardano?

Cardano is a decentralized platform that will allow complex programmable transfers of value in a secure and scalable fashion. It is one of the first blockchains to be built in the highly secure Haskell programming language. Cardano is developing a smart contract platform that seeks to deliver more advanced features than any protocol previously developed. It is the first blockchain platform to evolve out of a scientific philosophy and a research-first-driven approach. The development team consists of a large global collective of expert engineers and researchers.

Every blockchain project has a token of value commonly referred to as a cryptocurrency. Ada is the cryptocurrency on the Cardano blockchain. With Ada, holders can send value between friends, pay for a good or service, deposit funds on an exchange, or enter an application. To perform a transfer on the settlement layer requires you to own Ada, or acquire Ada through an exchange. It will also be the native token to be used in applications built on the computation layer.

The Cardano Foundation’s core mission is to standardize, protect and promote the Cardano Protocol technology. The Cardano Foundation acts as a supervisory and educational body for Cardano.

What is a Cardano wallet?

A Cardano wallet is a software or hardware wallet that enables users to interact with the Cardano blockchain.
By having a Cardano crypto wallet, you’ll be able to send and receive ADA.

 

ADA coins are not physically stored in the wallet, its records live on the blockchain and can be accessed using unique private keys, which grant the right to make transactions. You will lose access to your digital funds if you lose your private keys. Therefore, it is crucial to keep your keys safe and offline.

 

To store and manage ADA, you need a compatible Cardano wallet. Whether you’re looking to keep your ADA safe and HODL or manage them on a daily basis, Ledger has the right product for you. Ledger is a secure Cardano wallet for the ADA cryptocurrency that keeps your keys offline.

Ledger hardware wallet

Ledger hardware wallet stores your private keys and signs transactions offline, making them resistant to malicious attacks and threats.

Ledger Live App

Ledger Live App is a gateway to managing your assets, staking and earning passive income, checking your real-time balance, tracking transaction histories, and more.

How to get a Cardano cryptocurrency wallet?

01

Get a Ledger Nano

Select and purchase a Ledger cold wallet of your choice. Beginner in the crypto world? Get started with Nano S Plus. Prefer a Bluetooth connection? Try with Nano X.

Get Ledger Nano

Compare Ledger cold wallet

02

Download and install what could be the best crypto app: Ledger Live

Download and install Ledger Live in a couple of clicks. Ledger Live is a app to buy crypto for desktop & mobile that enables you to set up a Ledger device and manage your coins.

Download Ledger Live

03

Add Cardano to your portfolio

Install Cardano on your Ledger Nano:

  1. Open Ledger Live and navigate to Manager.
  2. Connect and unlock your Ledger device.
  3. Search for Cardano in the app catalog and click Install.

04

Create a Cardano account in Ledger Live:

  1. Open Ledger Live and head to Accounts.
  2. Click Add account.
  3. From the drop-down menu select Cardano.

You’re all set!

Buy, Manage Cardano at your fingertips

Ledger Live is your one-stop platform for smooth and complete asset management. With just a few clicks, you can buy and send/receive Cardano.

*Buy, send/receive, swap, stake, and other crypto transaction services are provided by third-parties partners.

Buy Cardano

You can purchase Cardano through our partners with a credit card or bank transfer. Cardano will be automatically sent to your Ledger device.

  • Head over to Buy/Sell.
  • In the dropdown menu, select Cardano and click Continue.
  • Choose one of the three payment providers—Coinify, MoonPay or Ramp—and follow the instructions.

Buy Cardano

1

The best way to keep your Cardano coins secure

Secure multiple assets, including Cardano using a Ledger hardware wallet. Your private keys, giving access to your assets, remain safe in a certified secure chip.

Ledger Nano S

NEW

LEDGER NANO S PLUS

Protect your Cardano assets with the first and only independently-certified Cardano wallet on the market.

Discover our Nano S Plus
Ledger Nano X

BEST SELLER

LEDGER NANO X

The Ledger Nano X is a Bluetooth enabled secure and CES award winning device that protect your Cardano assets.

Discover our Nano X

Choice of 5,000,000+ customers

Bertil A.

5/5

In order to secure cryptocurrencies, Ledger is the perfect tool.

Kevin L.

5/5

Simply a very elegant peace of hardware, with a gorgeous UI in the app.

James P.

5/5

ALL is good, all legal resources bought was as specified and compliant, party on.

Read more reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

The Cardano network is based on an academically-conceived proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism called ‘Ouroboros’ that has been peer-reviewed, and the native currency of the network, ADA, can be stored and transferred using the Ledger wallet.

Cardano is written in the programming language Haskell and is built in a multi-layered architecture. The base layer is the settlement layer of the network with the unit of account for ADA, which is linked to the ‘control layer’ that handles the smart contracts running on the network.

Token holders (i.e., ADA) can either directly stake, while online, or delegate their ADA to participate in the validation process of the network using the Ledger, Daedalus or Yoroi wallets. Stake pool operators control delegated ADA corresponding to an on-chain certificate, but delegators still retain the monetary rights, and revenue generated, from their delegated ADA.

Three primary teams are working on Cardano’s development:

1. Cardano Foundation
2. IOHK
3. Emurgo

 

Cardano’s primary development team, IOHK, is also one of the leading development teams for Ethereum Classic. IOHK is also contracted to build Emurgo, the for-profit/commercial arm of the ecosystem’s development. Emurgo provides educational resources, incubation accelerators, systems development, and advisory services about blockchain technology.

The Cardano Foundation is a Swiss-based organization whose mission is to drive adoption of the platform, shape legislation and commercial standards, grow the community, ensure stakeholder accountability, and forge partnerships. According to the foundation:
“Cardano Foundation is an independent body based in Switzerland with core responsibilities to help oversee and supervise the development of Cardano and its ecosystem. We are committed to protecting and promoting Cardano and advocating on behalf of the users and community of the protocol.”

 

Of the original 26 billion ADA tokens created, roughly 5.1 billion were allocated to the three teams working on Cardano’s development. The total supply is capped at 45 billion tokens, and the additional tokens leading up to the cap will be issued via the PoS validation process (i.e., block rewards) over the next 24 years.

There are different types of Cardano wallets, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.
Cardano hot wallets are connected to the internet and are usually convenient to use, however, they are also vulnerable to online attacks. Examples include web-based, mobile, and desktop Cardano wallets. With Cardano cold wallets, your private keys are stored offline and out of reach of online threats. Examples include paper and hardware wallets.

 

Cardano wallets can also be categorized as custodial or non-custodial, depending on who holds the private keys. Storing your ADA in a custodial wallet means that a third party controls your private keys and, therefore, your ADA coins. In contrast, a non-custodial Cardano wallet allows you to fully own and control your ADA.

Yes, there are mobile wallets for Cardano. You can get one and unlock the full Ledger experience by pairing the Ledger Live app (available on Mobile and Desktop) with a Ledger hardware wallet. Our Cardano wallets are independently certified and designed to resist sophisticated cyber attacks.

When you first buy token, you’re issued with two keys: public and private.

  • A public key serves as an address that can be shared with other parties to perform transactions.
  • A private key represents a randomly generated number that signs transactions and protects your assets from malicious attacks. If it gets compromised or lost, you won’t be able to access your crypto wallet to spend, withdraw, or transfer your assets.

To safeguard and keep track of your keys, you can use online or offline wallets. Online wallets, also known as hot wallets, store private keys on systems or devices that are connected to the internet. Hot wallets are easy and convenient to use, however, they come with several drawbacks. Besides being susceptible to attacks and a honeypot for hackers, with hot wallets, the custody of private keys is often entrusted to a third party such as a crypto exchange, which means you never have full control over your funds. The safer choice are specialized hardware wallets that store private keys offline. Stealing private keys from a hardware wallet would require physical access to the wallet and corresponding PIN or the recovery phrase. What’s more, with hardware wallet, you don’t need to rely on third party custodians.

Ledger Nano is the industry-leading hardware wallet. With more than five million customers, Ledger Nano wallets have several layers of security that protect private keys, and hence your assets:

  • Your private keys are stored on secure element chips.
  • A PIN code and a 24-word recovery phrase are required to access the wallet.
  • Ledger Nano crypto wallets have been built using highly durable materials for protection against physical damage.

With full isolation between private keys and your computer/mobile, Ledger Nano wallets keep your keys secure and give you complete control over your tokens.

Related Resources

Stay in touch

Announcements can be found in our blog. Press contact:
[email protected]

Subscribe to our
newsletter

New coins supported, blog updates and exclusive offers directly in your inbox