Pi coin jumped about 6% in the last 24 hours, hitting $0.0953 before easing back to $0.0910. The move came after the project announced a partnership with payment processor RoboPay and rolled out its Protocol 26 upgrade. The rally also rode a broader crypto market uptick.
The RoboPay partnership
Traders were intrigued by the deal with RoboPay, though neither side has released full terms. The integration is expected to let Pi holders use the token for payments through RoboPay's merchant network. That's a concrete use case for a coin that's often criticized for lacking real-world utility.
Protocol 26 goes live
The Protocol 26 upgrade went live earlier this week, bringing changes to Pi's consensus mechanism and transaction throughput. Developers said the update improves network efficiency, though they didn't release specific benchmarks. The upgrade had been in testing for months, and its activation added to the positive sentiment.
Market-wide tailwinds
Pi's gain didn't happen in a vacuum. The broader crypto market rallied Wednesday, with Bitcoin and Ethereum both up. Altcoins across the board saw green, and Pi's move was in line with the trend. Still, the token's 6% gain outpaced many peers.
Price action
Pi coin traded between $0.0857 and $0.0953 over the session. It peaked in early afternoon trading before pulling back. The $0.09 level held as support, and volume was higher than the 30-day average. The price move occurred amid a broader cryptocurrency market rally, with several major coins also posting gains.
