The IOTA Foundation reported significant progress in expanding its Trade Worldwide Information Network (TWIN) during the second quarter of 2026, according to its quarterly report. Key milestones included the activation of the Starfish consensus protocol on April 23, expansion of trade-related initiatives in Africa and the United Kingdom, and organizational restructuring to support enterprise and government use cases. The progress follows an announcement by IOTA co-founder Dominik Schiener that the foundation would concentrate resources on expanding TWIN rather than pursuing multiple independent initiatives. The foundation develops the IOTA distributed ledger network originally designed for machine-to-machine transactions and Internet of Things data integrity, and has now shifted focus toward scaling TWIN as a production-grade digital trade network for the global economy.
IOTA Foundation Activates Starfish Consensus Protocol on April 23
The IOTA Foundation activated the Starfish consensus protocol on April 23, according to the quarterly report. The upgrade is intended to improve network stability under real-world operating conditions while maintaining continuous operation even in environments with limited connectivity.
The organization completed Protocol Version 29 during the quarter, which introduces additional security features for smart contracts. Development of Starfish-Speed was finalized, with the project designed to reduce transaction latency across the network.
IOTA reported progress on its P-COOL transaction flow, which is intended to improve network performance while reducing computing resource requirements. Testing showed the new approach required roughly half the resources used previously, according to the foundation.
Storage optimizations reduced the active data footprint of network nodes by approximately one-third in testing environments, the report stated. The foundation said the improvements were expected to lower long-term infrastructure and maintenance costs for node operators while making the network more efficient for developers.
IOTA Foundation Expands TWIN Trade Projects in Africa and United Kingdom
The IOTA Foundation advanced TWIN's role in international trade infrastructure during the quarter. Working with TradeMark Africa, IOTA advanced the development of a business and fee model for deploying digital trade infrastructure in Kenya.
Implementation began on the ADAPT initiative, a collaborative project involving the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and the World Economic Forum. The initiative aims to establish digital identity, data-sharing, and digital payment capabilities, with initial deployments planned in Kenya, Nigeria, and Morocco.
The foundation reported progress on the Trade Logistics Information Pipeline (TLIP). Version 1.3.9 achieved a 95% success rate across all active testing profiles, while document exchange channels between Kenyan government authorities were successfully validated through node-to-node testing.
In the United Kingdom, TWIN secured support from five organizations that signed a letter of intent for the International Supply Network. Additional integrations involving port authorities, freight forwarders, and trade organizations are currently being prepared, according to the report.
IOTA Foundation Plans TWIN Deployment in 30+ Countries by 2030
The TWIN Foundation announced plans to expand the platform to more than 30 countries by 2030. IOTA technology has been deployed in Argentina as part of a government project supporting transplant processes.
The foundation said it had aligned its development, research, design, and product teams more closely following an organizational restructuring. The changes were intended to support the strategy of scaling TWIN as a production-grade, compliant digital trade network, marking a move away from developing general-purpose blockchain platforms in favor of infrastructure designed for the global economy.
FAQ
What did the IOTA Foundation report in Q2 2026?
The IOTA Foundation reported significant progress in expanding its Trade Worldwide Information Network (TWIN) during the second quarter of 2026. Key milestones included the activation of the Starfish consensus protocol on April 23, expansion of trade-related initiatives in Africa and the United Kingdom, and organizational restructuring to support enterprise and government use cases.
When did IOTA activate the Starfish consensus protocol?
The IOTA Foundation activated the Starfish consensus protocol on April 23, according to the quarterly report. The upgrade is intended to improve network stability under real-world operating conditions while maintaining continuous operation even in environments with limited connectivity.
How many countries will TWIN expand to by 2030?
The TWIN Foundation announced plans to expand the platform to more than 30 countries by 2030, according to the report.
