Pi Network price analysis as it positions itself against Worldcoin and Humanity Protocol
Pi Network’s native token remains under notable selling pressure, even as the project outlines an ambitious roadmap aimed at challenging emerging “proof of humanity” players like Worldcoin and Humanity Protocol. While developers have unveiled plans to expand Pi’s ecosystem and introduce new services around digital identity and compliance, the market response so far has been muted.
As of Sunday, Pi Coin (PI) was changing hands around $0.1677, slipping from its monthly peak near $0.2050. Despite this pullback, the token is still trading roughly 35% above its 2024 lows, suggesting that some early-year recovery remains intact. However, the current trend indicates growing caution among traders, especially in the absence of clarity on core token economics and exchange accessibility.
Pi Network’s first mainnet anniversary: new priorities
Marking the first anniversary of Pi Network’s mainnet, co-founders Nicolas Kokkalis and Chengdiao Fan laid out a refined set of priorities that will define the project’s next development phase. Instead of focusing solely on user acquisition and community-building, the roadmap now leans more heavily into utility, infrastructure, and compliance tools.
Key priorities include:
– Native token issuance mechanisms for applications built on Pi
– A decentralized exchange (DEX) to support trading within the Pi ecosystem
– Expanded developer tools and infrastructure to make it easier to build Pi-based apps
The overarching goal is to transform Pi from a mining-centric mobile project into a functional smart-economy ecosystem where creators can launch applications and issue their own tokens backed by real user demand. The team envisions a network in which apps, tokens, and identity services interconnect, creating a self-sustaining environment rather than a purely speculative asset.
KYC at the center of Pi’s new strategy
One of the standout elements of Pi’s updated vision is a renewed push to streamline and scale its Know Your Customer (KYC) process. Historically, slow and uneven KYC approvals have been a key source of frustration among users, many of whom remain unable to fully access or transfer their mined Pi holdings.
To address this, the team has rolled out an AI-powered KYC upgrade designed to increase verification throughput and reduce manual checks. According to the developers, this new system has already led to a notable rise in the number of verified users, a critical step toward unlocking larger portions of the network’s potential circulating supply.
Building on this progress, Pi Network now aims to package its identity and KYC infrastructure into a standalone product: KYC-as-a-Service. Instead of limiting verification tools to its own ecosystem, Pi intends to offer these services to businesses and platforms worldwide, effectively turning its internal compliance engine into a commercial solution.
Direct competition with Worldcoin and Humanity Protocol
By moving into KYC-as-a-Service and digital identity, Pi Network is stepping into the same arena as Worldcoin and Humanity Protocol, two of the most visible projects attempting to solve the “proof of humanity” and sybil-resistance problem.
Worldcoin, co-founded by Sam Altman, provides digital identity via World ID and a dedicated application. It has already onboarded millions of users through biometric verification, relying on iris-scanning hardware to bind a unique human to a cryptographic identity. In parallel, its token and app ecosystem are being positioned as a bridge between financial services and verified digital identities.
Humanity Protocol takes a different approach, emphasizing proof of humanity through palm recognition rather than iris scans. Biometric data is transformed into cryptographic hashes using zero-knowledge proofs, a method designed to confirm humanness and uniqueness without exposing the underlying biometric information in raw form.
Pi Network’s strategy is, on paper, more incremental and software-centric. Rather than anchoring identity to specialized hardware, it is focusing on large-scale, software-based KYC that blends AI-driven document checks, liveness tests, and compliance rules. If successful, this could make Pi’s solution easier to deploy globally, particularly in regions where biometric hardware rollouts are slow or controversial.
Market skepticism: unanswered questions on tokenomics
Despite the strategic pivot, Pi’s price trajectory shows that investors remain unconvinced for now. A major reason is the absence of concrete updates on tokenomics – an area that has long weighed on the project’s valuation.
In their anniversary communication, the developers did not address:
– The pace and structure of ongoing token unlocks
– Whether there will be any token burn mechanisms to manage supply
– How total and circulating supply might evolve as more users complete KYC
– The timeline and strategy for securing listings on additional centralized exchanges
These open questions matter because they directly influence perceived scarcity, sell pressure, and long-term valuation. Without greater transparency, traders may be reluctant to assign a higher premium to PI, regardless of its ambitious ecosystem plans.
Technical picture: downside pressure persists
From a technical analysis perspective, the daily chart underlines the current bearish bias. After failing to hold above this month’s high near $0.2050, PI has slipped back toward $0.1677, creating a clear lower high and signaling waning buying momentum.
Several key indicators reinforce this caution:
– Moving averages: The price is trading below major moving averages on the daily chart, a classic sign that the short- and medium-term trend is skewed to the downside. As long as PI remains under these averages, rallies are more likely to face selling pressure.
– Relative Strength Index (RSI): The RSI has retreated below the neutral 50 level, reflecting a shift from balanced momentum to a more bearish posture. Although not yet in oversold territory, the indicator suggests that buyers are losing control.
Given this structure, the most plausible near-term scenario is a continued grind lower toward the psychological support zone around $0.1500. A confirmed breakdown below that level could open the door to further declines, with the next notable area of interest sitting near $0.1300. These zones may attract dip-buyers, but absent a fundamental catalyst, any bounce could be short-lived.
How Pi’s identity push could eventually support price
In theory, a successful KYC-as-a-Service rollout could strengthen PI’s long-term value proposition. If external companies adopt Pi’s verification tools, demand could emerge for using PI within fee structures, staking mechanisms, or as an incentive token for validators and verifiers.
For example, a future model might:
– Require staking PI to operate as a KYC validator node
– Use PI for transaction fees or service payments in partner applications
– Reward contributors who help maintain and improve the verification network
Such utility-driven demand, if combined with clear supply management and exchange access, could help stabilize and eventually lift the token’s valuation. However, this scenario depends on flawless execution, regulatory acceptance, and the project’s ability to distinguish itself from better-funded or more visible competitors.
Regulatory landscape: opportunity and risk
By centering its roadmap on KYC and compliance services, Pi Network is positioning itself closer to the regulated end of the crypto spectrum. This presents a double-edged sword.
On one hand, enterprises and traditional institutions may be more inclined to work with platforms that take identity and compliance seriously. A robust, privacy-aware KYC framework could become an attractive gateway for businesses seeking to onboard users into Web3 without building their own identity stack from scratch.
On the other hand, any project deeply involved in identity verification must navigate complex regulatory regimes across multiple jurisdictions. Data protection laws, privacy regulations, and evolving rules around digital identity could slow expansion or impose additional costs. Missteps in this area could hurt both adoption and investor confidence.
Competition dynamics with Worldcoin and Humanity Protocol
Although Pi, Worldcoin, and Humanity Protocol occupy overlapping territory, their paths to market differ significantly.
– Hardware vs. software: Worldcoin leans on specialized hardware for biometric capture, while Pi is positioning itself around software-driven KYC. Humanity Protocol uses biometrics but emphasizes cryptographic privacy. Each approach has trade-offs in terms of scalability, public perception, and regulatory scrutiny.
– Token integration: All three projects use tokens to incentivize early adoption, but their economic designs vary. How each manages inflation, lockups, and unlocks will be critical to long-term sustainability. Pi’s current lack of clarity in this area leaves it at a relative disadvantage in the eyes of many market participants.
– Public trust and optics: Biometric-based identity systems face persistent skepticism around surveillance and data misuse. Pi’s less hardware-intensive approach may help it avoid some of the more controversial optics, but it still must prove that its AI-driven KYC respects user privacy and security.
The winner in this space may not simply be the project with the most users, but the one that best balances regulatory compliance, privacy, usability, and sustainable tokenomics.
Key factors that could change Pi’s trajectory
For Pi Network’s price to break out of its current downtrend and seriously challenge peers in the digital identity space, several catalysts would likely be necessary:
1. Transparent and improved tokenomics
Clear documentation on supply, unlock schedules, and potential burn mechanisms would help reduce uncertainty. Measures that limit inflation or align token incentives with network growth could be particularly supportive.
2. Broader exchange listings
Access to more reputable centralized and decentralized exchanges would enhance liquidity and price discovery. Increased accessibility tends to attract both retail traders and more sophisticated market participants.
3. Demonstrable KYC-as-a-Service adoption
Real-world integrations of Pi’s KYC tools by external partners would validate the business case and utility of the ecosystem. Announcements of commercial use cases could act as strong positive catalysts.
4. Matured app ecosystem on Pi
A growing roster of useful apps and tokens built on Pi, beyond speculation or simple transfers, would underline the network’s relevance and encourage users to hold and use PI rather than simply sell it.
5. Regulatory clarity and compliance milestones
Successfully meeting regulatory standards in key markets, while maintaining strong privacy protections, would differentiate Pi as a credible long-term player rather than a transient speculative project.
Outlook: cautious in the short term, conditional upside long term
In the immediate future, technical signals and market behavior point to a cautious stance on Pi Network’s price. With the token trading below key moving averages and momentum indicators favoring sellers, further declines toward $0.1500 or even $0.1300 cannot be ruled out.
Longer term, the story is more nuanced. If Pi Network can convert its identity infrastructure into a widely adopted service, clarify its tokenomics, and secure better liquidity through top-tier listings, the fundamentals supporting PI could improve meaningfully. Its software-centric take on digital identity and KYC gives it a distinct angle compared to hardware-heavy rivals.
For now, though, the market is signaling that vision alone is not enough. Until Pi pairs its ambitious competitive strategy with concrete economic and structural reforms, its price is likely to remain under pressure, even as it seeks to stand toe-to-toe with Worldcoin, Humanity Protocol, and other contenders in the race to define digital identity in the crypto era.