Key takeaways 

• Pi Network’s PI token holds steady at $0.1730, up 4.5% from the previous day. 
• The Pi Core Team’s upgrade to enable smart contracts, with a deadline set for April 27, is a potential catalyst. 

Pi Network’s PI token has managed to hold steady around $0.1770 as of Friday, adding a 4.5% gain from the previous day. 

The Pi Core Team (PCT) is driving momentum with the impending upgrade to the mainnet, which will enable smart contract functionality—expected to be a key catalyst for price movement.

PI rallies ahead of the Protocol 22 upgrade

PI is up 4.5% in the last 24 hours, outperforming the broader cryptocurrency market. The rally comes after the Pi Core Team announced that April 27 is the final deadline for all mainnet nodes to complete necessary steps for remaining connected to the network, as part of the Stellar Protocol version 22 upgrade. 

While this upgrade will cause a brief 15-minute downtime during internal data transfer, it lays the groundwork for future improvements. Additionally, the full upgrade to version 26 is slated for June 22, ahead of Pi2Day on June 28.

Will PI rally higher in the near term?

The PI/USD 4-hour chart is bearish and efficient, trading above the $0.1770 level. However, Pi Network remains in a bearish posture, with the token still trading below the 50-, 100-, and 200-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs). 

The immediate resistance level is marked at $0.1785, corresponding to the 50-day EMA, followed by stronger resistance at $0.1865 (100-day EMA) and $0.2334 (200-day EMA).

However, momentum indicators present mixed signals. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 71 is above the neutral 50 line, and is heading into the overbought region.

The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) crossing above its signal line indicates growing bullish momentum. 

On the downside, key support is found at $0.1556, near the February 23 low, with further weakness potentially exposing $0.1310 if the market slips below this level.

Ethereum could be approaching a defining turning point, a rare opportunity to rebuild from the ground up rather than continue evolving piece by piece. With the proposed Quantum upgrade gaining attention, developers and researchers are exploring changes that go beyond routine improvements, potentially rethinking security, scalability, and long-term resilience. Rather than layering fixes onto an already complex system, this moment opens the door to a clean-slate redesign.

How Quantum Resistance Could Future-Proof Ethereum

An Ethereum researcher, Justin Drake, who co-authored Google’s recent quantum paper, is reframing one of the most talked-about technology threats, quantum computing, into what could become ETH’s greatest opportunity.

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According to the Etherealize post on X, Justin Drake mentioned that, rather than viewing post-quantum as a hurdle to overcome, he sees it as an opportunity for ETH to stand out as the first global financial system that is post-quantum secure, not just in comparison to other blockchains, but relative to fiat and TradFi.

Drake believes that the post-quantum upgrade is a chance for ETH to become the best version of itself. This move to post-quantum is essentially a rewrite, because it’s a massive opportunity to start with a clean slate and wipe our technical debt. The rewrite bundles post-quantum security with a new Zero-knowledge (ZK) virtual machine, LeanVM, designed to snarkify the entire consensus layer in real time.

The result is that the Ethereum base layer 1 could scale to around 10,000 transactions per second (TPS) operating at 1 gigagases per second, while simultaneously becoming quantum-secure.

In the future, the fragmented blockchain landscape will consolidate dramatically, and the industry won’t need dozens of competing chains anymore. The Ethereum Daily has noted that nearly all meaningful activity and innovation will concentrate on a small number of elite blockchains.

Meanwhile, those that consistently attract the most talented developers, deliver a seamless user experience, offer battle-tested security, and maintain true neutrality. Ethereum Daily argues that these are the platforms that traditional institutions can trust and build upon without worrying about favoritism, hidden agendas, or sudden rule changes.

Among these contenders, ETH is clearly leading this charge and is positioned to be the dominant settlement layer of this new era. Ethereum Daily emphasized that this evolution points toward a future with multi-chain chaos, but toward ETH-first dominance.

Why This Supply Shock Could Be A Turning Point For Ethereum

The Ethereum market may be entering a powerful new phase driven by tightening supply dynamics. Altcoin Buzz reported that over 32% of ETH in existence is currently locked up and completely removed from the market.

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However, there is a reduction in the circulating ETH supply for retail buyers, and this fundamental shift explosion would be absolutely historic.

Featured image from Pxfuel, chart from Tradingview.com