IOTA Announces Rebased Mainnet Upgrade for May 2025

IOTA prepares for its Rebased mainnet upgrade on May 5, 2025, promising a seamless transition with no token migration needed. Key details and steps are outlined by the IOTA Foundation.

The IOTA Foundation has announced its highly anticipated Rebased mainnet upgrade, scheduled to take place on May 5, 2025. This significant upgrade will see the current Stardust network transition to the new IOTA network, as detailed in a recent post on the IOTA Blog.

The transition promises to be seamless for IOTA token holders, with no token migration needed. Instead, users will simply need to load their existing wallets into the new system.

“Please ensure you can access your private keys, mnemonic phrases, or stronghold files and export them securely to guarantee a smooth transition and continued access to your assets post-upgrade,” the IOTA Foundation urges users.

New browser extension wallets will be available on launch day, replacing the existing Firefly wallet. A new IOTA Wallet Dashboard app is also being introduced, offering enhanced features for managing assets.

Hardware wallets from Ledger, excluding the Ledger Nano S, will remain supported, but users will need to install the new IOTA Ledger app on their devices.

Exchanges that support IOTA will pause deposit and withdrawal services during the upgrade, though trading will continue. These services are expected to resume shortly after the completion of the upgrade.

The upgrade process itself will involve a coordinated effort between the IOTA Foundation and 12 validators, working together to ensure a transparent and verifiable migration.

The upgrade will feature a Genesis Ceremony, a sequence of steps that will be executed to establish the foundation of the new network. This process will involve shutting down the Stardust mainnet, taking ledger snapshots, and creating a genesis checkpoint.

The 12 validators will then come together to collectively verify and sign these artifacts, ensuring consensus and transparency throughout the migration.

Following the upgrade, the IOTA EVM will resume operations, enabling seamless interaction via MetaMask and the new IOTA EVM Bridge Web App.

The validator network will initially launch with 13 validators, who will be able to collect staking rewards for securing the network.

To encourage further decentralization, token holders will also be able to delegate their stakes to validators of their choice.

Infrastructure, including RPC endpoints and APIs, will be immediately available for developers post-launch, along with updated documentation. Decentralized applications are also expected to follow shortly.

The IOTA Foundation is hosting regular discussions and providing updates on these developments via community and builder discords and X Spaces, inviting stakeholders to actively participate in this transformative chapter for the IOTA ecosystem.