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Pi Network just marked its seventh official anniversary with one of the most significant product releases in its history. On Pi Day 2026, the team unveiled a wave of new features that move the project meaningfully closer to the utility-driven ecosystem it has been building toward since 2019. This is not a roadmap update. These are live releases.

Pi Launchpad Goes Live on Testnet
The most anticipated announcement is the launch of Pi Launchpad on Testnet, a token launch platform designed specifically for product-first projects building inside the Pi ecosystem.

What makes this different from typical crypto launchpads is the underlying philosophy. Projects launching through Pi Launchpad must already have a working application before they can issue a token. The token exists to acquire real users and integrate directly into the product’s functionality, not to raise capital. The Pi proceeds from each token launch go into a liquidity pool rather than to the issuing project, creating a healthy liquidity foundation from day one.’

With over 17.7 million KYC-verified Pioneers on Mainnet, Pi offers distribution that most platforms simply cannot match.

Protocol 20 and Smart Contracts
All major Pi nodes have been upgraded to version 20.2, supporting Protocol 20. The full Mainnet upgrade completes within the coming week.

This is a foundational milestone. Protocol 20 introduces the technical infrastructure required for smart contracts on the Pi blockchain, enabling programmable logic that allows developers to build decentralised applications, automate transactions, and power functionality like NFTs, subscriptions, escrow systems, and on-chain marketplace transactions.

Smart contract rollout will be gradual and utility-focused. Subscription contracts, escrow contracts, and NFT-related contracts have been prioritised, several of which are currently undergoing external security audits before deployment.

Second Migrations Now Open
After months of community anticipation, second migrations have officially begun. Pioneers who completed their first migration can now bring additional Pi balances to Mainnet, provided they have set up two-factor authentication on their Pi Wallet through Mainnet Checklist Step 5.

Second migrations will also include referral mining bonuses for Referral Team members who have completed KYC. Pioneers are encouraged to remind their networks to finalise verification before the window closes.

KYC Validator Rewards Finally Distributed
Pi Network is releasing its first round of KYC validator rewards, covering work done by the community’s human verification workforce. The numbers involved are remarkable.

Over 526 million successful human validations were completed by more than 1.09 million validators. The reward pool of 16.57 million PI was supplemented by an additional 10 million PI from the Pi Foundation, bringing the price per validation to 0.0504 PI, which the team notes is 21 times the current base mining rate. Payments will be distributed over the next ten or more days directly to validators’ Mainnet wallets.

Mainnet Payments Now Live in Pi App Studio
Pi App Studio now supports live Mainnet transactions, allowing select apps to move from Testnet to real on-chain activity with actual PI payments integrated directly into the user experience. Four apps have already been invited to transition.

The update also introduces persistent payment integrations, meaning purchases and unlocks made inside apps now carry across multiple sessions rather than expiring when a user closes the app. This is a critical step toward sustainable business models for creators building on #pi $PIXEL #PiNetworkMainnet #PiCoreTeam #pixel #shiba

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Rather, it has always been about the extent to which those responsible for building the ecosystem understand what they own and what they are responsible for.

PiGCV emergence (2022 ← Today)

Since 2022, something powerful, often underestimated, has been built from scratch:

Pi GCV (Globally Agreed Value) economy.

This was not imposed by any central authority, but rather:

Driven by the grassroots