IOTA is changing direction. The project is stepping away from speculative crypto trends and moving toward real world trade infrastructure. The shift targets a massive market. Global trade moves between $30 trillion and $35 trillion each year.
IOTA 联合创始人 Dominik Schiener 发文表示，宣布 IOTA 战略重心已从投机性加密领域转向为 35 万亿美元的全球贸易市场构建基础设施。文章指出，IOTA 旨在通过垂直整合数字身份、RWA 和贸易金融，解决传统贸易效率低下问题。目前，基于 IOTA 的 TWIN…
— 吴说区块链 (@wublockchain12) January 23, 2026
IOTA co-founder Dominik Schiener shared the update this week. He said the focus is now on fixing trade inefficiencies. These include slow customs processes, paperwork delays, fraud risks and a large trade finance gap. Instead of chasing hype, IOTA wants to become digital public infrastructure. The plan brings digital identity, real world asset tokenization and trade finance together on one blockchain.
IOTA shifts focus to global trade infrastructure
Traditional trade still runs on outdated systems. Documents move slowly, data sits in silos, border checks take days and financing is hard to access. IOTA believes this is where blockchain actually fits. The strategy centers on vertical integration. That means trade documents, digital identity, asset tokenization and payments all work together. Everything runs on IOTA’s Layer-1 network. The goal is to make trade faster, cheaper and transparent. Rather than serving traders and speculators, IOTA wants to serve exporters, importers, logistics firms and governments.
TWIN network goes live with real deployments
The Trade Worldwide Information Network (TWIN) is now live on the IOTA mainnet. In fact, it started rolling out in early January 2026. Specifically, TWIN digitizes trade documents and tracks shipments in real time. As a result, shipments are often represented as tokenized records which allows for instant verification across borders. Moreover, Kenya serves as a key example of this technology in action. Currently, TWIN integrates with the national trade system, focusing first on flower exports that ship millions of stems each day. Earlier pilots reduced customs clearance from days to hours.
The UK also tested TWIN. The Cabinet Office used it for EU to UK freight. More than 2,000 poultry shipments from Poland were tracked between 2024 and 2025. Data quality improved and border checks became smoother. Next, IOTA plans to expand. All Kenyan commodities come first. Then pilots will launch in at least five more countries in 2026.
ADAPT aims to unlock African trade
IOTA is also working with global partners. These include the World Economic Forum and the AfCFTA Secretariat. Together, they support ADAPT, a program that focuses on African digital trade infrastructure. Indeed, the goal is bold because doubling intra-African trade could unlock tens of billions in yearly value by 2035. To achieve this, ADAPT uses digital documents, self-sovereign identity and stablecoin payments. It also cuts fraud and speeds up settlement. Early work is already happening in Kenya, Ghana and Rwanda. More countries will follow in 2026.
Rebased upgrade supports scale and token utility
This strategy relies on strong tech. IOTA completed its Rebased upgrade in May 2025. The upgrade brought Move based smart contracts and full decentralization. It also supports very high throughput and fast finality. IOTA introduced small transaction fees, part of these fees gets burned. This creates deflation when network usage grows.
The model adjusts based on demand. It also supports sponsored transactions. That keeps the system easy for users. Specifically, with this setup, IOTA can handle millions of trade transactions each year. Looking ahead, IOTA aims to become the digital backbone of onchain trade. Not a hype token, or a meme but quiet infrastructure for how the world moves goods.
