Pi Coin’s Wild Ride: Soars to $1.70 Before Nosediving 50% in Brutal Flash Crash

Pi Coin—the mobile-mined crypto that VCs love to hate—just gave traders whiplash with a violent pump-and-dump. After briefly touching $1.70 (cue champagne corks popping in Telegram groups), it cratered faster than a DeFi rug pull.

Market watchers blame overleveraged retail bulls—because nothing screams ’sound investment strategy’ like YOLO-ing into an unlisted asset. The crash vaporized $300M in paper gains, leaving bagholders staring at charts like bereaved widows.

Silver lining? At least it wasn’t a stablecoin. This time.

• Pi Coin surged to $1.70 on May 13 before crashing over 50% to $0.81 within two days due to heavy token unlocks flooding the market.
• Around 272.9 million tokens ($234.6M) will be unlocked over the next month, increasing selling pressure and challenging price recovery.
• Market cap dropped from $9B to $6B, pushing Pi Coin out of the top 20 cryptocurrencies, now ranked 29th globally.

Pi Coin has experienced an intense week of market volatility, drawing attention from investors and analysts alike. On May 13, the token briefly surged to a monthly high of $1.70, only to crash by over 50% within two days, falling to $0.81. This sharp reversal has sparked concerns over short-term price stability, with experts warning that recovery will be challenging due to multiple resistance levels ahead.

LMAO $PI really said “buy the rumor, dump the news.”

Dropped 28% in 24hrs right after announcing a $100M fund (Pi Network Ventures) to support app dev on the network.

You’d think bullish news = pump, right? Nah. This was textbook overbought euphoria.

Price touched $1.53 off… pic.twitter.com/5H1SznWkjQ

The recent price drop is largely attributed to the ongoing unlocking of millions of Pi tokens, which is injecting substantial supply into the market. According to data from Piscan, approximately 14.6 million tokens are being unlocked today alone. Over the next 30 days, a total of 272.9 million tokens, valued at $234.6 million, are scheduled for release, averaging 9.1 million tokens daily.

The most significant unlock event is expected on May 28, when 15.1 million tokens will flood the market. This consistent influx is likely to increase selling pressure and suppress upward price momentum unless demand rises proportionately.

Pi Coin Drops from Top 20 with 100M Fund

The token’s rapid price correction has also led to a sharp decline in market capitalization, dropping from $9 billion to $6 billion. As a result, PI Coin has fallen out of the top 20 cryptocurrencies, landing at 29th place globally. The fall reflects growing uncertainty around the project’s short-term trajectory, especially as investors weigh the impact of unlocks against the potential for ecosystem growth.

To reinvigorate interest and utility, Pi Network recently announced a $100 million ecosystem development fund. The goal is to attract developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) on the Pi Network, thereby creating real-world use cases that could increase token utility and demand.

This strategic MOVE indicates the team’s long-term commitment to growing the ecosystem beyond speculative trading, a key step if Pi wants to maintain relevance in an increasingly competitive Web3 space.

Pi Network Ends Central Node in Major Decentralization Move

In a pivotal move toward decentralization, Pi Network has permanently shut down its central coordinating node. This marks a major milestone in the project’s evolution, as control now shifts to the broader network, reducing central authority and increasing community governance.

Blockchain analyst Dr. Altcoin commented on the development, stating that this transition could boost confidence among crypto purists and decentralization advocates. However, he also cautioned that while the move is foundational, its effect on price may be gradual and dependent on broader adoption trends.

Is Pi Network heading towards full decentralization?

Pi Network’s central coordinating node was recently deactivated, and a test was conducted in preparation for full decentralization. It now appears to have been permanently deactivated, signaling full decentralization.… pic.twitter.com/fik4xDQngV

Technical indicators suggest a period of consolidation in the market. According to TradingView, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) currently stands at 53.55, indicating neutral momentum and suggesting that the asset is neither overbought nor oversold. Meanwhile, the MACD has shown a mild bullish crossover, hinting at the potential for upward momentum. However, this signal is not yet strong enough to confirm a breakout, reinforcing the view that the market may continue to consolidate in the NEAR term.

Experts note that without a major catalyst, such as a Binance or Coinbase listing, Pi Coin may struggle to regain the $1.50 to $1.70 range. However, if ecosystem development picks up and exchange listings materialize, some bullish forecasts see Pi aiming for $2.50 by Q4 2025.

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