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Pi Network Completes Groundbreaking Upgrade but PI Price Plunges Again

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Pi Token Unlock Schedule. Source: PiScan


After gaining more than 100% since its all-time low, PI has now dumped by almost 50% from its local peak.

Although it was completed several days ago, the Core Team behind the controversial project announced the migration earlier today, solidifying the successful upgrade to version 20.2.

They reasserted that the new protocol version should be groundbreaking for the project as it provides the foundations to eventually enable smart contract capabilities. However, even this big news couldn’t halt PI’s free-fall.

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V20.2 Arrived

The past month has been quite eventful for Pioneers as the Core Team made several key protocol upgrades even before the aforementioned one. At first, they announced the successful migration to v19.6 on February 20, followed by v19.9 on March 4.

All eyes turned to March 12, which was the new deadline for the implementation of v20.2. It was the most important one from this year. In a post on X from hours ago, the team said: “All major Pi nodes have now been upgraded to version 20.2 and are supporting protocol 20.”

It’s worth noting that the team actually completed the migration within the original timeframe, as hinted in their Pi Day celebratory post from the weekend. However, the post now provides more information on what Pioneers can expect, especially since Pi Network has upgraded its Mainnet blockchain to protocol 20. The latest version is a major step toward the network’s goal to have smart contract capabilities, as explained in the post:

“Protocol 20 provides the foundation to enable smart contract capabilities, and the rollout of smart contracts will occur gradually, prioritizing categories that align with utility-based product innovation and operations. The specific types of smart contracts featured will depend heavily on the needs arising from the utility creation process.”

PI Drops Yet Again

Perhaps driven by the initial updates, PI’s price went on a roll in late February/early March. This rally received a major boost when the major US crypto exchange Kraken announced that it would list it for trading on March 13. The effects were immediate as PI skyrocketed by double digits from around $0.20 to almost $0.30.

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After hitting a five-month peak, though, the reality set in as it turned out to be another classic sell-the-news event. PI nosedived on the next day toward the $0.20 support, which gave in yesterday. The situation has only worsened in the past 12 hours, as the token has dumped to under $0.175, thus dropping by almost 50% in just a few days.

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PiScan data shows that the number of tokens to be released in the next month would be rather negligible compared to what it was in February and early March. Aside from March 20, when almost 16 million coins will be unlocked, the rest of the month will see numbers below 4 million.

Pi Token Unlock Schedule. Source: PiScan
Pi Token Unlock Schedule. Source: PiScan

 

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Crypto World

UK Parliamentary Committee Urges Ban on Political Crypto Donations

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UK Parliamentary Committee Urges Ban on Political Crypto Donations

A cross-party parliamentary committee in the United Kingdom has urged the government to impose an immediate moratorium on cryptocurrency donations to political parties until stronger safeguards are in place.

In a report published on Wednesday, the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy said the government should amend the Representation of the People Bill to impose an “immediate moratorium on crypto donations” until the Electoral Commission produces statutory guidance ahead of the next general election, due by August 2029.

The committee also called for the creation of a Political Finance Enforcement Unit to oversee these activities and reduce the minimum threshold for declaring gifts tied to political donations from 11,180 British pounds ($14,900) to 500 pounds ($668), and proposed increasing the maximum custodial sentences to three years for wrongdoing involving foreign financing.

The committee cited growing foreign state threats and efforts to influence the UK’s positions on critical issues, including its relations with the US, the European Union and Ukraine.

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The recommendation comes amid rising scrutiny of crypto-linked money in British politics. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK became the first party to start accepting crypto donations in 2025. Reform UK recently disclosed a $4 million donation from crypto investor Christopher Harborne in the fourth quarter of 2025, after a record $12 million gift in the previous quarter.

“Political finance and foreign influence” report. Source: The UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy

Crypto donations pose “unnecessary” risk for UK politics

Crypto donations pose an “unnecessary and unacceptably high risk” to the integrity of the political finance system and public trust, barring robust regulator guardrails, the report states.

“We see no democratic imperative to permit the use of crypto in political finance until adequate safeguards are in place.”

The committee also cited jurisdictions, such as Ireland, that have banned party members from accepting political cryptocurrency donations due to foreign interference concerns.

The report comes shortly after Matt Western, chair of the committee, urged the government to put a temporary halt on crypto donations to political parties, citing foreign interference risks, Cointelegraph reported on Feb. 26.

Related: UK Lords launch stablecoin inquiry as Bank of England moves to finalize rules

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Crypto donations raise concern in the UK

Political cryptocurrency donations are legal in the UK, subject to permissible rules under the Electoral Commission guidance. UK lawmakers reportedly started considering a ban on political cryptocurrency donations in December 2025.

Weeks later, seven senior UK Labour Party MPs have urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ban crypto for political donations, Cointelegraph reported on Jan. 12. 

“Crypto can obscure the true source of funds, enable thousands of micro donations below disclosure thresholds, and expose UK politics to foreign interference,” wrote business and trade committee chair Liam Byrne, one of the seven signatories of the letter.