IOTA Unveils New PoS Mainnet and MoveVM Upgrade at Staking Summit Dubai with Big Real-World Adoption Plans

The IOTA staking summit in Dubai marked a major turning point for the long-standing blockchain project. Celebrating a decade since its first whitepaper, IOTA’s team unveiled a massive leap forward in both technology and vision. With a new delegated Proof of Stake (PoS) mainnet, the integration of the MoveVM upgrade, and a suite of real-world utility applications, IOTA is no longer just the Internet of Things (IoT) project many remember, it’s aiming to become a global digital infrastructure layer.

This evolution didn’t happen overnight. Over the last eight years, IOTA has worked hand in hand with large-scale European corporations such as Porsche, Volkswagen, and Bosch, along with regulatory institutions across continents. These collaborations shaped its deep focus on enterprise-grade utility, digital identity, verifiable credentials, and global trade digitization. The IOTA staking summit made one thing clear: IOTA is no longer chasing hype, it’s building foundational systems for long-term transformation.

What is the New PoS Mainnet Bringing to IOTA?

One of the biggest reveals from the IOTA staking summit was the launch of the project’s new fully decentralized delegated PoS mainnet. This upgrade marks a departure from IOTA’s historical approach and brings greater scalability, security, and decentralization to its ecosystem. The mainnet integrates the highly anticipated MoveVM upgrade, a virtual machine architecture inspired by SUI and Aptos but tailored for IOTA’s real-world needs. 

Unlike many projects that lean on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) alone, IOTA now plans to merge EVM execution directly into its scalable Layer 1, removing fragmentation and optimizing validator performance. Their current EVM sidechain, live for over a year, has paved the way for this deeper Layer 1 integration. This new mainnet isn’t just a technical refresh, it’s an intentional move to support IOTA’s broader mission to be the infrastructure for real-world decentralized trust systems.

Why Did IOTA Choose MoveVM Over EVM?

So why did IOTA go with a MoveVM upgrade over just sticking with EVM? According to the summit’s announcement, IOTA believes that MoveVM offers a more secure and efficient smart contract execution model, especially suited for their long-term enterprise goals. While EVM remains useful for rapid builder onboarding, MoveVM brings performance benefits and stricter resource management, vital for large-scale adoption. 

IOTA plans to bring both execution environments together under a unified validator set on Layer 1, ensuring consistency and scale. Unlike newer projects still experimenting, IOTA’s team emphasized their real-world experience and regulatory exposure as their key differentiators. Their approach is focused on usability, resilience, and sustainability, with insights gained from nearly a decade in the industry.

How Is IOTA Driving Real-World Blockchain Adoption?

Perhaps the most compelling part of the IOTA staking summit was its focus on global trade digitization. IOTA isn’t just theorizing use cases, it has live deployments. One example is its notarization system for the flower trade between Kenya and the UK, where digital identities and verifiable credentials are already ensuring traceable, secure international transactions. 

This initiative is part of a larger project called TWIN (Trade and Worldwide Information Network), built in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, Tony Blair Institute, and Trademark East Africa. TWIN aims to establish open, independent governance for global trade infrastructure using decentralized technologies. Instead of letting corporations like Maersk control the rails, TWIN promotes regulatory and technical standards that enable interoperability and fairness in international trade.

What Makes IOTA’s Tokenomics and Storage Model Unique?

IOTA also introduced unique economic mechanics during the summit. Validators and stakers will be rewarded from a sustainable 6% annual inflation model, minted daily and governed on-chain. Unlike systems dependent on pre-allocated token pools, IOTA’s approach ensures long-term incentivization aligned with network growth. Their storage model is also standout: users pay a deposit to store data on-chain, but it’s fully refundable once data is deleted. There’s no middle management or custodial risk. This simplicity and fairness are aimed at supporting enterprise adoption where trust and cost-efficiency are crucial. The team is also actively working on Starfish Consensus, a new consensus algorithm designed to improve network resilience under sub-optimal global conditions. This improvement will soon move into public testnets.

A New Era for IOTA Has Begun

The IOTA staking summit made one thing loud and clear, IOTA is back with bold plans and real traction. From the launch of a scalable PoS mainnet and the MoveVM upgrade, to active global trade digitization efforts with governments and NGOs, IOTA is doing what few in the crypto space can claim: delivering in the real world. With advanced tooling for digital identity, notary services, and tokenization, and a track record of working with regulators, IOTA is positioning itself as more than just a blockchain. It’s evolving into a foundational trust layer for the next generation of global infrastructure.