IOTA Network Launches Rebased Mainnet, Enhances Smart Contracts, Scalability

The IOTA network officially initiated its highly anticipated rebased upgrade on May 5, 2025, marking a significant milestone for its ecosystem. This upgrade transitions IOTA from the Stardust framework to a new, developer-focused Mainnet, enhancing the network's capabilities for smart contracts, robust tokenization, and advanced scalability. The transition process, which includes a network pause and a genesis Ceremony, was meticulously overseen by the IOTA Foundation and a group of trusted validators.

For IOTA token holders, the upgrade is seamless, requiring no token migration. Users can simply load their existing wallet credentials, such as mnemonic phrases, private keys, or Firefly/Bloom strongholds, into the newly launched browser-based IOTA Wallet. The older firefly wallet will be phased out, and while Ledger hardware wallet support will continue, a manual install of the new IOTA Ledger app is necessary due to changes in Ledger Live compatibility. The IOTA Wallet Dashboard Web app will soon be launched to provide users with greater control and insight into their token holdings and Assembly to IOTA vesting details.

The network pause and Genesis Ceremony began at around 9:00 am CEST, involving both the Stardust Mainnet and the IOTA EVM. The process included full snapshot creation, validator metadata submission, address mapping, and final consensus. Each validator verified and signed the genesis data, contributing to the finalized genesis.blob, which is a signed snapshot used to bootstrap validator nodes. Once consensus was achieved, the IOTA Foundation deployed new node software and reactivated infrastructure components, including APIs, rrc endpoints, wallet apps, and the network explorer.

Users can now monitor activity across the IOTA network using the official IOTA Explorer and the community explorer IOTAscan. These tools offer real-time insights into transaction flows, validator operations, and smart contract interactions. Additionally, third-party wallet options like the Night Wallet, available via mobile and web, provide alternative access points to manage digital assets.

In addition to the mainnet reboot, the IOTA EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) will resume service later in the day. Users can continue interacting through MetaMask, and a newly introduced IOTA EVM Bridge Web App will facilitate smoother and easier token transfers between Layer 1 and the EVM Note. The rebirth of IOTA includes an expanded validator ecosystem, starting with 13 validators, which will grow to approximately 50 within a few days and scale to 150 over the coming months. Token holders on the platform are encouraged to delegate their stake to contribute to the decentralization and security of the network, with delegation instructions available on the new wallet dashboard.

Exchange services, including IOTA token deposits and withdrawals, are temporarily halted during the transition but will resume shortly. Following the upgrade, dApp releases, integrations, and ecosystem expansion will occur quickly. The IOTA Foundation is collaborating extensively with partners and developers to ensure infrastructure availability and ecosystem continuity. With the successful launch of the IOTA Rebased Mainnet, the future is open for creativity, allowing builders, developers, and consumers to explore a more powerful, transparent, and decentralized IOTA network optimized for real-world applications.