Cardano reward model faces structural gap as transaction fees cover fraction of payouts

Cardano generated 3.3 million ADA in transaction fees against 493.7 million ADA in staking rewards between Sept. 1, 2025, and Sept. 1, 2026. With average daily transactions dropping significantly since 2022, the network relies heavily on reserve emissions to fund rewards, highlighting a growing structural gap as the protocol approaches its next scaling upgrade.