Pi Network Today's News: Valour ETP in Sweden Faces a Cold Reception, 1.9% Management Fee Scares Off Investors

In August 2025, Valour Inc., a subsidiary of DeFi Technologies listed on NASDAQ, launched the Pi Network ETP on the Swedish Spotlight stock market, marking an important step for the project into the TradFi sector. The product charges a management fee of 1.9%, and market acceptance is not high.

The Strategic Significance of Valour PI ETP's Debut in the Swedish Market

In August 2025, Valour Inc., a subsidiary of DeFi Technologies listed on Nasdaq, launched the VALOUR PI (PI) SEK ETP on the Swedish Spotlight stock market. This product marks the most remarkable step for Pi Network's entry into the TradFi sector. EECS engineer and cryptocurrency analyst Kim H. Wong stated that this release connects Pi Network's native token to regulated markets. He believes this is a significant moment for aligning Pi's mobile ecosystem with standard financial structures.

ETP (Exchange Traded Product) is an investment tool listed on a stock exchange, similar to an ETF but with a broader scope. Valour is one of the leading cryptocurrency ETP issuers in Europe and has launched multiple ETP products for mainstream cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Pi Network's ability to access Valour's ETP products demonstrates that it has met certain compliance standards in the eyes of European regulatory authorities.

Mr. Huang explained that the Valour PI ETP allows ordinary investors to invest in Pi through their brokerage accounts. He added that this approach helps to enhance market confidence and reduce the barriers between digital assets and regulated trading platforms. For traditional investors who are not familiar with cryptocurrency wallets and private key management, the ETP provides a familiar and compliant way to invest. They do not need to learn how to use cryptocurrency exchanges or worry about asset security issues; they can simply invest in Pi through their existing securities brokerage accounts.

This product is traded with ISIN CH1108681540 and charges a management fee of 1.9%. This rate is a key factor in understanding the “lower acceptance” mentioned in the Pi Network news today. In contrast, the management fees of traditional stock ETFs usually range from 0.1% to 0.5%, and even actively managed funds rarely exceed 1%. The rates for Bitcoin and Ethereum ETPs typically range from 0.5% to 1%. The 1.9% management fee for Valour PI ETP is almost twice that of mainstream cryptocurrency ETPs, which is a significant barrier for price-sensitive investors.

Huang stated that this move could mark Pi's official entry into the regulated market. He pointed out that if the ETP can attract a large amount of investment, the demand for $PI may increase, leading to greater price stability. Wong wrote: “If the ETP attracts a large amount of investment, it could increase the demand for $PI , which in turn may support the token's value.”

Three Key Features and Controversies of Valour PI ETP:

Compliance Channel: Listed in the regulated market of Sweden, traditional investors can invest through brokerage accounts.

High Management Fee: A 1.9% annual fee rate is almost twice that of mainstream crypto ETPs, which has become the main reason for low acceptance.

Symbolic significance outweighs actual: Marks Pi's entry into TradFi, but actual capital inflow is limited.

Three Structural Reasons for Lower Acceptance

(Source: CoinMarketCap)

The core issue of Pi Network's news today lies in its low market acceptance. First, the high management fees pose a barrier. An annual fee rate of 1.9% means that investors need to pay 1.9% of their investment amount as management fees each year. If investing $10,000, this results in a payment of $190 annually. For an asset like Pi Network, which has high volatility and uncertain fundamentals, the rate that investors are willing to pay should be lower, not higher. Valour may have set this rate based on Pi Network's poor liquidity and high operating costs, but this also directly limits the product's appeal.

Secondly, there is the issue of brand recognition for Pi Network itself. In the eyes of European investors, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana are validated mainstream crypto assets, while Pi Network appears more like a “mobile mining experiment.” Many question its technological feasibility, the progress of its mainnet launch, and practical application scenarios. In this cognitive context, even if a compliant investment channel is provided, the number of investors willing to allocate funds is very limited.

The third limitation is the size of the Swedish market. Although Sweden is a developed country in Northern Europe, its capital market is much smaller than those of the United States, the United Kingdom, or Germany. The Spotlight stock market is Sweden's secondary market, primarily aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises and emerging assets. Launching the Pi ETP in such a relatively niche market inherently limits the potential investor base. If Valour could launch the Pi ETP on the London Stock Exchange or the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the impact would be much greater.

In terms of actual performance, today's news from Pi Network shows that the Pi trading price is $0.2026, having only increased by 0.23% in the past 24 hours. Its daily trading volume is $18.94 million, an increase of 38.64% from the previous day. Although trading volume has increased, the 0.23% price increase is negligible, indicating that the launch of ETP has not had a substantial impact on the market. This moderate market reaction confirms the judgment of “lower acceptance.”

Analyst's Cautious Optimism and Protocol Upgrade Version 23

Some analysts continue to express long-term confidence in Pi. Renowned cryptocurrency researcher Dr. Altcoin stated that he expects Pi to follow a long-term recovery trend similar to the early growth phase of Bitcoin. He added that upcoming development achievements, such as protocol upgrade version 23, can support this transformation.

This analogy is commonly used by Pi Network supporters. Bitcoin was also viewed as a fringe experiment by mainstream finance in its early days (2010-2013), with extreme price volatility and limited application scenarios. However, over time, Bitcoin gradually established value consensus, technological foundations, and an ecosystem, ultimately becoming the top crypto asset by market capitalization. Pi Network supporters believe that Pi is similarly in its early stages, and given enough time, it can achieve a similar growth trajectory.

However, this analogy has obvious logical flaws. The success of Bitcoin is based on several unique factors: Satoshi Nakamoto's genius design, the purity of decentralization, first-mover advantage, and the spontaneous contributions of countless developers. Although Pi Network claims to be decentralized, it actually relies heavily on the core team, the mainnet has not yet been fully opened, and KYC verification is progressing slowly. More importantly, although Bitcoin's price was low from 2010 to 2013, its technology was continuously innovating (such as early research on the Lightning Network), while Pi Network's major progress from 2019 to 2025 has mostly remained in the testing phase.

The upgrade version 23 is another highlight in the news of Pi Network today. This upgrade is expected to enhance transaction stability and efficiency, reflecting Pi's prudent and gradual development philosophy. However, similar upgrade promises have repeatedly appeared over the past few years, but actual delivery is often delayed. The market has become immune to such promises, and unless they are truly deployed on the mainnet and demonstrate significant improvements, it is difficult to provide substantial support for the price.

From an investor's perspective, the launch of Valour PI ETP, while symbolically significant, does not change the fundamental predicament of Pi Network. The price of $0.20 is still testing support, the pressure from token unlocks has not been alleviated, and the complete opening of the mainnet is still a long way off. For European investors considering investing in Pi through ETP, the high management fee of 1.9% and the inherent high risk of Pi make this product extremely unattractive. A more rational choice may be to wait for a substantial improvement in Pi's fundamentals or to opt for mainstream cryptocurrency ETPs with lower fees and more solid fundamentals.

From the overall evaluation of today's news from Pi Network, the launch of Valour ETP is an attempt by the Pi Network team to enhance the project's legitimacy and market position. However, the market's lukewarm response reveals a harsh reality: compliance channels and TradFi packaging cannot cover up the fundamental issues of the project itself. Only by truly addressing core issues such as the opening of the mainnet, application implementation, and optimization of token economics can Pi Network gain genuine recognition from the market.