LTC to ADA: Swap Litecoin for Native Cardano, No KYC

Both chains keep value in unspent outputs rather than account balances, but that is where the likeness ends. Litecoin is a proof-of-work network with a block every 2.5 minutes. Cardano runs on proof of stake, produces a block about every 20 seconds and lets holders delegate their ADA to a stake pool without locking it.

That last point is the usual reason for this direction. LTC earns nothing while it sits in a wallet. ADA in a wallet that is delegated takes part in staking, stays spendable at all times and can be moved whenever you like.

The swap does not bridge or wrap anything. Your LTC is sent on Litecoin, and native ADA is paid on Cardano to the addr1 address you enter. You will need a Cardano wallet such as Eternl, Lace or VESPR before you start, because Nexus Wallet and most Litecoin-only apps cannot show ADA.

The deposit is an ordinary Litecoin transaction to the one-time address in the exchange box. Litecoin confirms it in about 10 minutes, which covers a few blocks at 2.5 minutes each. That wait is the longest part of this pair; Cardano is much quicker on the other end.

Leave your wallet on its normal fee setting. A Litecoin deposit sent with a very low fee can sit unconfirmed for several blocks, and the swap does not start until it confirms. The fee is paid in LTC from the same wallet, on top of the amount you swap.

Send the exact amount you typed into the box, in a single transaction. Splitting it into two sends, or sending more than you entered, makes the deposit harder to match. You can follow it on Blockchair by pasting the transaction ID from your wallet.

Cardano wallets show a receive address that starts with addr1. The normal one starts with addr1q and runs to about 100 characters. It carries a staking part, so ADA paid to it can be delegated from the same wallet.

Some tools hand out shorter enterprise addresses starting with addr1v. ADA sent to one of those arrives safely, but it has no staking part and cannot be delegated as it is. If staking is the point of the swap, use the main receive address from Eternl, Lace or VESPR.

A stake address that starts with stake1 is not a payment address and does not belong in the payout field. Neither does anything from your Litecoin wallet. Copy the addr1 address with the wallet's copy button, paste it, and compare the opening and closing characters with the app before you continue.

A Ledger is the one wallet that appears on both lists. It can hold LTC and ADA under one recovery phrase, through separate apps for each coin, so the sender and the payout can live on the same device. Even then the two addresses are different. Copy the Litecoin one into the sender field and the Cardano one into the payout field, and keep the order straight before you press continue.

The payout shows in your wallet a few minutes after it is sent, and Cardanoscan shows it at your addr1 address. From there, delegating is a single transaction inside Eternl, Lace or VESPR.

The first delegation registers your stake key. That step locks a small deposit in ADA, which the wallet adds to the transaction and returns if you deregister later. It is a Cardano protocol rule, separate from the swap.

Rewards start after the delegation becomes active, which takes a couple of epochs. To withdraw them, Cardano now also asks that the stake key's voting power is delegated to a DRep, or set to Abstain or No Confidence. Each of these wallets offers that in its governance section. None of this affects the ADA itself, which you can spend or move at any time.

Whatever Litecoin address goes in the sender field doubles as the refund address. If a swap cannot be completed, the coins are refunded to the sender address you entered. Use a regular ltc1, L or M address from your own wallet. An MWEB address beginning ltcmweb1 is a different format and should not go in that field.

Paying the deposit directly out of an exchange account is a poor idea for this pair. Exchange withdrawals leave from pooled wallets, and LTC refunded to one of those may never be credited to you.

The rate is quoted from aggregated liquidity from leading crypto markets and floats until the LTC confirms. After that, most swaps finish within minutes. The swap needs no account and no ID. If the status page stops moving after Blockchair shows the deposit confirmed, email support@ghostswap.io with the swap ID and the Litecoin transaction ID.