Pi Network (PI) News Today

Gate News message, April 27 — Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan recently announced he has built a custom AI assistant system, which he calls "the diplomat's second brain," running on a Raspberry Pi 5 (a credit-card-sized microcomputer). The system integrates with his WhatsApp and

Pi Network unveiled the Pi Token Design Framework PiRC1 on April 22 as part of the Protocol V22 upgrade. PiRC1’s core rule is: only projects that already have deployable applications within the Pi ecosystem and that have real user demand are eligible to issue tokens. Token proceeds do not flow to the project team; instead, they flow into a perpetual liquidity pool anchored by Pi Coin to prevent rug-pull behavior.

Gate News message, April 23 — OpenClaw, an open-source AI Agent platform, released version 2026.4.22 on April 22, with its biggest change being the alignment of Codex harness and Pi harness lifecycles. Previously, plugins behaved inconsistently across the two harness pathways, with some hooks

Pi Network core team released the second Pi Request for Comments draft (PiRC2) on April 23, announcing that the testnet will open subscription smart contracts for technical review and community feedback, and inviting developers to test the subscription feature integration, review contract design, and identify potential vulnerabilities. As of the time of reporting, the PI token is about $0.17, unchanged from the previous day.

Pi Network founder Nicolas Kokkalis will attend the Consensus 2026 conference in Miami on May 7, joining an expert panel to discuss online human identity verification issues in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the official event schedule, this panel discussion will bring together experts in the fields of identity, privacy, and digital trust.

Pi Network has issued an official notice to node operators, requiring them to complete the mandatory upgrade of the agreement version 22.1 (v22.1) by April 27, 2026; otherwise, they face the risk of their nodes being cut off from network connectivity. According to a Pi Network announcement, this upgrade must be carried out in strict version order. Currently, the system is running on version 21.2; the next step is to upgrade to v22.1, and no versions may be skipped.

Pi Network mandates node operators to upgrade to Protocol 22 by April 27, 2026, to ensure network connectivity. The upgrade enhances stability and prepares for future smart contract features. Delaying could result in disconnection and missed opportunities.

Pi Network completed a token unlock on April 18, releasing about 5.3 million Pi tokens, which boosts market liquidity, but also sparks discussion about supply-and-demand pressure. The unlocking plan is intended to control market supply and support ecosystem development. The long-term impact will depend on how quickly the token’s utility expands through real-world applications. If demand and supply can grow in step, the price impact will be limited; otherwise, it may face pressure.

Pi Network has launched its first Smart Contract feature on Testnet, enabling users to set up automatic subscription payments while maintaining control of their funds. This marks a shift toward ecosystem utility and lays the groundwork for potential mainnet deployment.

Pi Network announced a mandatory upgrade to Protocol version 22.1, requiring completion by April 27, 2026, to maintain network connection. The upgrade is seen positively for enhancing security and performance, with next version expected by May 11, 2026.

Pi Network will launch its V23 upgrade next month, featuring smart contracts, a DApp ecosystem, and a decentralized exchange. With over 18 million KYC-verified users, this upgrade moves Pi towards practical applications and utility in its ecosystem.

Pi Network officially went live with Protocol 23 on May 18, bringing smart contracts, real-world asset tokenization, and the AI App Studio, enabling Pi to transform from a payment token into a programmable blockchain infrastructure. The protocol covers four major functions, similar to Ethereum, and is expected to attract institutional investors. The upgraded node milestones signal market confidence and may affect Pi’s price performance.

Pi Network distributes 26.5 million PI tokens to more than 1 million community members who have completed KYC verification, to accelerate user identity verification and strengthen the decentralized model. 18 million already-verified users have laid the groundwork for the ecosystem’s development, but the key lies in how to convert these users into active participants. With the protocol upgrade, Pi Network is moving toward the open network phase, and smart contract support signals richer application scenarios.

Pi Network's native token PI fell to $0.165 in April, hitting a 7-week low and leaving market sentiment weak. The unlock peak will release more than 60 million PI, adding downward pressure. Despite the core team recently publishing technical updates, it failed to improve market confidence and instead drew community criticism due to KYC access issues and the ongoing slide in price. Increased future supply could further drive prices lower.

Pi Network has taken another step forward in building its ecosystem. The project recently distributed 26.5 million PI tokens to more than 1 million KYC validators. These rewards were given to users who helped verify identities on the network. This process is important. Because it ensures that

Pi Network member Daniel F raised a logical contradiction in the PIRC token design, noting that if it has a 23.8% floor protection, it would need to behave like a stablecoin, which conflicts with its high volatility on CEX. This floor is based on Pi’s price calculations; if Pi itself fluctuates significantly, it will be unable to effectively protect holders. Daniel emphasized the importance of transparency, but the project team did not respond to it, leading the community to continue speculating about the reasons for its silence.

The Pi Network ecosystem is accelerating its transition, with more than 210 active applications and 23,000 developers actively participating in Pi Studio, spanning multiple areas such as payments, community engagement, education, and gaming. The ecosystem’s diversity shows indicators of healthy development, and developers’ engagement is driving ongoing application optimization. In the future, improving the usefulness of the mainnet will be a key challenge, including issues that need to be urgently addressed such as scalability, security, and user adoption rates.

Pi Network has taken another step to improve its system for developers. The project has launched a new RPC server upgrade on its Testnet, making it easier to build and test apps on the network. This update allows node operators to run their own RPC servers In simple words, developers no longer