Pi Founder Highlights Utility Focus As Open Network Turns One

Shweta Chakrawarty

February 25th, 2026

Pi Network celebrates its first Open Network anniversary with Mainnet migrations as founders pivot to real-world utility.

Pi Founder Highlights Utility Focus As Open Network Turns One

Quick Take

Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed.

Pi Network hits 16.2 million Mainnet migrations and 17.7 million KYCs.
Founder Chengdiao Fan emphasizes utility-first growth over short-term price speculation.
New PiRC1 framework requires working apps before issuing ecosystem tokens.
Network infrastructure expands to 421,000 active nodes and 300+ apps.

The Pi Core Team shared a new video message from Pi founder Dr. Chengdiao Fan. She stressed that Pi Network is intentionally different from most crypto projects. In the post, Fan explained that Pi focuses on real-world utility, not short-term trading hype.

Why does Pi feel so different from other blockchains? Why does utility matter? Pi Founder Chengdiao Fan explains Pi’s emphasis on utility and how Pi distinguishes itself in the blockchain industry. pic.twitter.com/uSswQwkgMA
— Pi Network (@PiCoreTeam) February 25, 2026

She said the network aims to build lasting value through everyday apps, local commerce and verified user participation. According to Fan, Pi “feels different” because it avoids the typical ICO route. It relies on mobile-first mining and builds a fully KYC-verified ecosystem from the ground up.

One Year Since Open Network Launch

Pi founder’s message comes just after Pi Network marked the first anniversary of its Open Network launch. Over the past year, the Pi team reported steady growth across the ecosystem. The latest figures show about 16.2 million users have migrated to Mainnet. Meanwhile, roughly 17.7 million users have completed KYC verification.

The network also reports more than 421,000 active nodes supporting the system. In addition, over 9 billion Pi has moved into Mainnet wallets. The ecosystem now includes hundreds of live apps and around 148,000 sellers listed on the Map of Pi commerce platform. Together, these numbers aim to show real participation rather than simple mining activity.

Pi Founder Chengdiao Fan’s Vision

In the anniversary video, Pi founder Dr. Chengdiao Fan doubled down on Pi’s long-term strategy. She argued that many blockchains focus too heavily on memecoins, NFTs and price speculation. In contrast, Pi Network wants to build everyday usefulness first. The goal is simple: create apps that solve real problems and support local payments.

Pi founder Fan also highlighted the importance of identity verification. She said Pi’s large base of KYC-verified users creates trust and opens the door to future services. One example is “KYC as a service,” which could allow other businesses to use Pi’s identity infrastructure. At the same time, the team continues work on ecosystem token design, AI integration and validator rewards expected later in 2026.

Community Reactions

As usual, the community response was mixed. Supporters praised the utility first approach. They said it gives Pi a stronger long-term potential than hype-driven projects. Many users also welcomed the recent unblocking of about 2.5 million accounts for migration.

However, critics remain vocal. Some long-time miners expressed frustration over slow KYC approvals, delayed migrations and the still-missing DEX rollout. Others pointed to Pi coin’s market price. That has hovered near the $0.16-$0.17 range, far below earlier expectations. This gap between vision and delivery continues to fuel debate inside the community.

Looking Ahead for Pi Network

For now, Pi founder Fan’s approach to push Pi Network forward with more migrations, node upgrades and ecosystem development. The team is also collecting feedback on its token design through GitHub. Still, the real test lies ahead. If Pi can convert its large user base into daily real-world usage. The utility first bet may pay off. If not, community patience could keep thinning.