On August 11, 2026, Pi Network reached a major technical milestone: migration to protocol v26. This process was supposed to strengthen the crypto mainnet, but the reaction from crypto traders
On August 11, 2026, Pi Network reached a major technical milestone: migration to protocol v26. This process was supposed to strengthen the crypto mainnet, but the reaction from crypto traders is quite different. The PI token rejected the $0.11 mark. Worse still! The value of this crypto asset fell below $0.09. How far could PI’s price drop (or rebound) in the coming days? Analysis.
After the launch of SLICE, Pi Network announced the deployment of protocol v26 on July 29. The Pi Core Team set the installation deadline to August 11 for all mainnet node operators. After this deadline, those who have not migrated risk being disconnected from the crypto network. According to available data, about 421,000 nodes were affected by this migration.
This upgrade follows the v25 protocol activated on July 22. The latter introduced BN254 and Poseidon cryptographic functions for confidential contracts. According to the team, protocol v26.1 represents a technical variant of the same project. It strengthens:
It thus reduces the technical debt of the blockchain, in addition to providing developers with a more modern base. But above all, this technical migration lays the groundwork for Protocol v27. This is the latest update announced by the crypto project.
Some crypto analysts nevertheless point out a grey area: the Pi Core Team has still not officially confirmed the transition of the entire network. This fuels investor caution.
Most crypto experts agree on this point: the token unlock schedule largely explains Pi’s inability to capitalize on momentum. Nearly 128 million PI tokens are expected to hit the market in August, followed by 132.7 million in September.
This additional supply adds to an already tense context: the Pi token trades more than 95% below its all-time high (despite a claimed base of 60 million users). At the time of writing, the PI price is around $0.089. Its market capitalization is about 989 million dollars. The daily volume, meanwhile, is only around 4.1 million dollars, representing about 0.42% of the capitalization.
Chart showing the PI crypto price evolution over a 24-hour period (Source: CoinMarketCap)This ratio provides insight absent from simply reading the price: the PI market remains relatively shallow. But not only that! It also illustrates the structural difficulty of the crypto project in converting its community into real demand in secondary markets.
Driven by a resurgence of activity linked to the v26 protocol deadline, the Pi crypto price reached $0.11 on August 11. Unfortunately, the momentum did not hold. Sellers took back control, bringing the price down to $0.0877.
Crypto analysts draw attention to two fundamental indicators: VRVP and MFI.
Technical analysis of PI price (Source: TradingView)The immediate support is therefore between $0.080 and $0.082. Regarding resistance, it now extends from $0.090 to $0.10. A break above $0.10 would reopen the path towards $0.11, then tougher resistance around $0.127. Conversely, a loss of support at $0.080 would bring the Pi price back to the July base (between $0.069 and $0.070).
Thus, Pi Network now faces the real test of adoption. Certainly, the crypto network has crossed an important technical milestone. In recent months, it has also chained several upgrades. That said, the rejection of $0.11 reminds us of the crypto market’s priority: generating real demand. The next battle will therefore be played as much within the ecosystem as on the chart. The coming days look decisive!
