Pi coin like many other cryptos before it has gathered a lot of contrasting opinions as to whether it is worth mining or holding.
While there are the fanatical bunch who believe in the potential of Pi coin and can swear by it, there are those on the other side who are not so impressed.
If you’ve been mining Pi coins on the app for more than 1 year, you’ll admit that the journey has been sort of a rollercoaster.
One minute you’re thinking this is a waste of time and doubting if this coin would ever be worth anything.
Then the next minute, there is a new update on the network that makes you start believing again.
I, myself, had to stop mining Pi for a while after trying to get my KYC done. It seems Nigerians are the last on the queue for KYC validation. I had to resume mining only after I had successfully completed the KYC process.
So, the question is, will the Pi coin ever become valuable? Would it ever be worth anything?
Let’s start from the opposing view on why the Pi coin might not be worth it, then I’ll give my honest view on why I think that the Pi coin would become highly valuable in the near future.
The Opposing Views on Pi Coin
The naysayers believe that Pi coin is not a cryptocurrency
Since Pi coin isn’t traded on any exchange, and there is no official trading price, it is then a fact that Pi coin is still an experiment at best.
Right now, even though Pi holders can transfer Pi coins within the network, it’s all been clouded with speculations, as no one knows if this coin would actually make its way to a public crypto exchange platform.
The naysayers also believe that Pi coin comes with too much bureaucracy
They believe the Pi Network is just asking for too much data and making it difficult to access your mined crypto.
First they ask for your phone number and email, then they ask you to link your social media accounts, then they ask for KYC verification via a government-issued Identity document.
Isn’t that asking for too much from someone who just wants to mine crypto and trade it for profit?
Isn’t cryptocurrency meant to be a black hole for making anonymous blockchain transactions across borders? Then why the need for collecting personal identification data?
The opposing view is that the Pi Network uses these data to its own benefit by monetizing the network and making money based off of selling users data.
You can believe that if you want.
Another opposing view is that Pi coin has been overtaken by newer coins
The Pi Network was launched about 10 years ago, in 2013, while the mobile app launched just 4 years ago.
Most people believe that this is enough time for the network to come full circle and start making money for its users.
But it seems that the Pi Network has a much longer timeline that could take its exchange launch date well into the 2030s.
Most people do not have the patience to wait that long, and are already jumping ship to newer coins.
Newer coins that offer incentives and show a faster exchange timeline has attracted some of Pi Network users, as the view is that a genuine crypto would usually reward its users within a reasonable timeline.
Over 50% of Mined Pi Coins are practically useless
If you’ve tried to move your mined Pi coins to the mainnet, you’ll discover that about half of your mined Pi coins are valued based on the activity of your security circle.
To many users, this is nonsense, and just an avenue for the Pi Network to steal from its users.
There are some Pi users who even have up to 70% of their Pi coins tagged as unverifiable.
Which means 70% of your hard work becomes practically useless because someone in your circle decides to abandon the Pi Network.
These are all valid reasons to become disillusioned with the Pi Network. However, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel and I’m quite hopeful that the Pi coin will be worth something someday. Even though not as high as the Pi coin consensus value of $314 that is being floated around.
My Positive Views on the Pi Coin
So, why do I think that mining the Pi coin isn’t a waste of time?
Evidence of Value Creation in the network
My biggest reason why Pi coin would succeed is that the network is clearly on a mission to create a valuable network of services that users can trust and patronize.
They are encouraging users and developers on the network to create value and get paid in Pi coins even when the coin is only usable within the network. And this seems to be working.
For example, developers can develop apps to create services and get paid as users patronize them within the Pi Network.
Also users are beginning to get a fair share of the Pi economy, as they are able to earn Pi coins for performing small tasks.
For example, users can now act as KYC validators after completing their own KYC. As KYC validators, they earn a share of the Pi fee that is paid to complete each KYC process.
The second reason why I believe the Pi coin would become valuable is that users are currently bullish on the Pi coin.
They are already trading the Pi coin within the network, even when it is not listed on any crypto exchange and does not have any official trading price.
This in itself proves that the Pi Network is self-sufficient and can create its own value for users and developers to harness.
While the price of the Pi coin isn’t going to be anywhere near $300 in the near future, I believe that it would be highly valued, somewhere around $20 to $50.
My prediction is that when and if the Pi coin makes its public launch, it’s going to be a big one and would definitely make a dent in the crypto ecosystem.