THORChain ($RUNE ) is preparing for a major network upgrade on May 22, 2025, and it couldn’t come at a more crucial time. After months of price pain and internal restructuring, the project is aiming to reestablish its momentum in the DeFi space.

📉 6-Month Price Recap

Over the past 6 months, RUNE has seen significant volatility:

  • 🔺 High: ~$11.46 (November 2024)

  • 🔻 Low: ~$0.955 (February 2, 2025)

  • 💰 Current Price: ~$1.85 (May 21, 2025)

That’s an over 90% decline from the peak, followed by a modest recovery, nearly doubling off the lows.

🧯 What Happened?

THORChain ran into serious turbulence earlier this year:

  • A liquidity crisis left the protocol with over $200 million in liabilities.

  • Lending and savings products were paused.

  • Community confidence dropped sharply, triggering massive selloffs.

🔧 What’s in the Upgrade?

The May 22 network upgrade is expected to:

  • Enhance network efficiency and throughput

  • Improve security mechanisms

  • Prepare the ecosystem for the relaunch of paused features, including lending

📊 What’s the Impact?

This upgrade could serve as a sentiment reset for $RUNE . With fundamentals improving and technical stability in focus, the door is open for a potential longer-term recovery. But this will depend on:

  • Clear execution from the team

  • A stable macro environment

  • Rebuilding community and investor trust

🧠 Final Take

RUNE has shown signs of life after bottoming near $0.95 and rising to $1.85. With a major upgrade on deck, the coming weeks will be critical. If the upgrade delivers—and confidence returns—RUNE may be poised to reenter the DeFi spotlight.

🚀 Eyes on May 22. THORChain’s next chapter could be just beginning.