“This migration is straightforward and should take less than 5 minutes, but avoid updating all nodes simultaneously,” the Pi Core Team advised node operators as they began rolling out Protocol 26, the ninth upgrade aimed at refining Pi Network’s Mainnet. The deadline for completing this update is August 11, a key cut-off for node operators to stay connected to the network.
Protocol 26 marks the penultimate step before the final Protocol 27 release, which together will unlock the latest features in Pi’s protocol. The team has been steadily pushing upgrades over recent months, each intended to bring the network closer to full functionality. Despite these efforts, the token’s price movements reveal a cautious market: PI climbed 6.66% over 24 hours to $0.0822, outperforming the broader crypto market’s modest 0.71% gain, but remains down 11.7% over the past week and 29% over the last month.
Previous updates triggered brief rallies for example, after Protocol 25 launched on July 22, PI briefly hit $0.103 before slipping below $0.10 again. This limited upside partly stems from a consistent daily unlock of about 4.25 million PI tokens, with over 1.7 billion expected to enter circulation within a year, keeping supply pressure high. The August 11 deadline offers another potential price catalyst, though past deadlines have produced only short-lived bumps rather than sustained momentum.
The upgrade rollout comes at a time when the crypto sector overall is navigating volatility and restructuring, as seen in news like staff cuts at crypto firms. Whether Pi Network’s protocol improvements can stimulate firmer investor confidence remains to be seen, setting the stage for a key test once Protocol 27 goes live.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
