IOTA has unveiled four significant initiatives concurrent with the introduction of the Stardust upgrade, signaling an evolution in $IOTA tokenomics.

The primary goal is to expand utility and token economies, commonly referred to as tokenomics, aiming to optimize community case utility by bolstering IOTA. These decisions, characterized as bold in the announcement, have been warmly received by the community, commending the team for their decisive actions.

Firstly, IOTA plans to integrate general-purpose smart contracts following the rollout of IOTA 2.0, aimed at enhancing Layer 1 programmability—a multi-year effort whose specifics will be disclosed in the coming months.

Shimmer will persist as a complementary staging network, tasked with validating and expediting IOTA's technical roadmap, emphasizing utility, tokenomics, and scalability.

Three key elements are undergoing development: increased network security, greater economic value, and a demand for more Mana, driven by heightened demand for IOTA tokens. This is expected to elevate intrinsic value, thereby fortifying security and economic utility, embedding a sustainable tokenomics model aimed at establishing IOTA as real money within the ecosystem.

However, the impact of this model remains to be seen, as the token has declined by 3.23% in the past 7 days, currently trading at $0.150396, significantly below its all-time high of $5.69. While bullish predictions for IOTA's price persist, the likelihood of reaching its peak value by the decade's end appears slim, suggesting a need for substantial initiatives to alter its trajectory.

The third decision involves discontinuing the development and release of the Assembly Token and Assembly Project, with focus shifting to generalizing smart contract frameworks by intensifying efforts on the IOTA chain, with smart contracts envisioned for Layer 2 blockchain integration.

Importantly, prioritizing the testnet precedes any implementation on Shimmer and subsequently IOTA, starting with typical R&D to formulate designs and specifications.

Lastly, IOTA intends to establish an Ecosystem Fund, supporting ecosystem development and network governance decentralization. Funded through token inflation over four years, during which the token supply is anticipated to reach 4.6 billion.