Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Cryptocurrency markets are volatile and risky. Do your own research and consider your circumstances before making decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

The long road here

If you just entered the ecosystem at $0.12 because you saw a trending post on X saying "IOTA is back," welcome. But let me tell you a story about how we got here.

I was there in 2017 when we were considered "the future." When Microsoft, Volkswagen, Bosch, and Fujitsu were headlined as building on IOTA. When the price hit €5.69 and the subreddits were on fire. We were called visionaries for believing in feeless, scalable, quantum-secure tech while everyone else was paying $50 gas fees.

Then came the darkness.

Coordicide delays. Network reboots. Chrysalis. Stardust. The "dead project" comments. We watched the price bleed while other Layer 1s pumped 100x.

And through all of it, I kept staking. Not trading. Not rage-selling. Staking.

Every epoch, every bear market dip, every time someone asked, "why are you still holding?"—I delegated more. Because I remembered what we were building.

If you're new to staking, use our APY Calculator to understand what those early stakers were earning—and what you can earn today. The numbers tell a story of resilience.

Real-world adoption is here

Now the world is finally waking up. We aren't just talking about partnerships anymore; we are seeing:

• ADAPT & AfCFTA: The Tony Blair Institute and the World Economic Forum are writing case studies about IOTA as critical TradeTech infrastructure. ADAPT officially launched in November 2025, with the goal of unlocking over $70 billion in additional intra-African trade by 2035. This isn't speculation—it's live infrastructure. Read more in our coverage of IOTA's role in Africa's digital trade revolution.

• TWIN Global: Systems replacing paper-based bureaucracy for entire continents. The TWIN Foundation was officially launched in May 2025, with pilot programs in Kenya showing transaction costs declining by 80% and cross-border processes achieving a 96% boost in efficiency. We've broken down how TWIN is revolutionizing global trade bureaucracy in detail.

• Institutional Integration: Governments and banks quietly integrating IOTA for digital identity, tokenized trade, and verifiable credentials.

They aren't coming. They are here.

The staking victory lap

While this infrastructure is being laid, stakers are the ones winning. We are earning ~11-12% APY, compounding automatically, every single epoch.

Let that sink in. The same tokens we defended through eight years of FUD are now:

1. Securing a network running continent-scale trade infrastructure.
2. Earning double-digit yields in a zero-interest-rate world.
3. Positioned for a massive real-world adoption wave.

We didn't just survive the winter. We became the foundation the rest of the world is building on.

Want to see how these yields compound over time? The Compounding Calculator shows you the power of automatic epoch compounding—especially when you're earning 11-12% while the network scales.

To the new and the old

To every OG still staking since day one: this one is for you. You were called crazy. But you kept the network alive when no one else cared.

And to the new people just joining: You are early, but we were earlier.

Now, go stake properly. Don't simply pile into the top 5 validators. Spread your delegation to support decentralization. Use the Staking Tracker to find the best performers with fair commissions. If you're new to the mechanics, our guide on understanding IOTA staking rewards breaks down how APY works and how to maximize your returns.

This isn't just about price anymore. This is about owning a piece of the infrastructure that will run the digital economy for the next 50 years. And we get paid to hold it.

See you at €5. Again. But this time, it stays.

Current network stats (Nov 2025)

Next steps

• Estimate your potential rewards with the APY Calculator.
• Track your validator performance in the Staking Tracker.
• Explore growth strategies with the Compounding Calculator.
• Common questions? See the FAQ.

Sources

• IOTA Foundation – ADAPT Official Announcement (Nov 17, 2025)
• World Economic Forum – ADAPT Press Release
• TWIN Foundation Official Website
• TWIN White Paper