Pi Network’s Next Upgrade Set to Shake the Crypto World—Is PI the Dark Horse Defying Market Chaos?
Isn’t it a bit ironic that while most altcoins are taking dives worthy of a Hollywood stuntman, PI is holding its ground like that stubborn friend who refuses to leave the party early? After a rollercoaster ride of protocol upgrades, the Pi Network team is already teasing the next iteration—yes, the elusive v21 is on its way, and node operators better keep their systems polished and ready. Sure, the token’s gains might be modest, but in a market where bloodletting is the norm, even a small win feels like a victory lap. Throw in Kraken’s recent listing, the slapstick price explosion and subsequent tumble, and you’ve got one heck of a saga unfolding. So, what’s next for Pi? Is it a slow burn to greatness or just another crypto soap opera? Let’s dive into the latest twists. LEARN MORE.
PI is among the few altcoins that has not plunged today.
After successfully implementing several consecutive protocol updates, the Core Team behind the controversial project noted earlier today that the next one is already in the works.
At the same time, the underlying token has posted a minor gain since yesterday. However, its broader performance continues to be quite underwhelming.
Next Update Coming Soon
The team announced the first protocol update of the year on February 20, which brought it to version 19.6. The next one, v19.9, followed suit on March 4, and the highly anticipated v20.2 was successfully migrated before the community’s Pi Day (March 14). This one was particularly important as it laid out the fundamentals for enabling smart contract capabilities.
This rollout will occur gradually, the team said, as they aim to prioritize categories that align with utility-based product innovation and operations. The specifics will depend on the needs arising from the utility creation process, they added.
Without providing a clear deadline this time, Pi Network’s official X channel indicated that the v21 upgrade is coming, and node operators must ensure their systems are “up to date.” They added that more instructions will be coming shortly.
The Pi Mainnet has successfully upgraded to Protocol 20, laying the foundation for supporting smart contracts. Node operators, please ensure your systems are up to date and stay tuned for instructions regarding the upcoming v21 upgrade.
— Pi Network (@PiCoreTeam) March 19, 2026
PI Resists Dropping Further
Aside from the aforementioned updates, all announced in the past month, the other big news in the Pi Network community came last week from Kraken. The veteran US exchange said it would list the underlying token for trading starting March 13.
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The combined effects for PI were instant and rather mind-blowing. The token exploded by almost 100% in the span of just days, and tapped a five-month peak of around $0.30. However, once it indeed began trading on Kraken, it suffered the consequences of another classic buy-the-rumor, sell-the-news event.
It plummeted by over 30% at one point, and kept losing value to under $0.17 marked yesterday. Interestingly, it has rebounded slightly in the past day (3%), while most other altcoins have suffered 3-5% losses.
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