With the Cardano mainnet launch just around the corner (scheduled for 1 October), we want to clarify exactly when the Pioneer Season ends, what happens to your R-Points, and when you can start earning points again.

The Pioneer Season ends today: 29 September 2026

The Pioneer Season officially closes today, 29 September 2026 (12:00 SAST / 10:00 UTC).

From that point forward, activity on the testnet will no longer earn R-Points. The testnet itself will remain available, but the Pioneer Season points programme has ended.

Any eligible activity completed and timestamped on-chain before the Pioneer Season close will still be processed and, subject to the checks below, credited. Your balance may therefore increase slightly after the close while the final batch of points is calculated and processed. This is expected. Once that final processing is complete, your Pioneer Season balance will be frozen as provisional.

Once mainnet goes live, your first qualifying transaction from a Lace wallet is expected to earn a points multiplier, on terms we will publish before the Voyager Season opens; with many of you asking, we’d like to clarify that this earning opportunity will begin with the Voyager Season on Cardano mainnet, not on the concluding testnet. You have not missed out on any points by not completing this task, as it was not yet live.

Final dates

For absolute clarity:

  • 29 September (12:00 SAST / 10:00 UTC): Pioneer Season ends and Pioneer Season point accrual stops.
  • 29 – 30 September: No new Pioneer Season points are awarded.
  • 1 October: Mainnet is scheduled to go live and the Voyager Season begins, with points earning available again through qualifying mainnet activity.

Provisional means not final

Your frozen Pioneer Season balance can still change before any conversion in two ways.

  • Bug bounty grants: Bug bounty allocations have not yet been finalised. We're currently collating the list for review. Any approved allocations will be added before balances are published; if an allocation is completed after the Pioneer Season closes, it will be added as a one-time adjustment to your provisional balance.
  • Abuse checks: Final abuse and farming checks will continue through the points-finalisation process. Where we identify farming or other abuse, RealFi Foundation may adjust, reduce or revoke the relevant points, including points earned before the Pioneer Season closed.

How Pioneer Season points may convert to RFG

Finalised Pioneer Season points become eligible for conversion to RFG only where the linked wallet meets the mainnet participation requirement during the Voyager Season. Any conversion remains subject to the Points Program Terms and at RealFi Foundation’s discretion. The requirement and every other condition are set out here: https://docs.realfi.co/essential-policies/points-program-terms

Two things to know:

  1. Link your wallet. Conversion is matched through the wallet-linking feature. An unlinked testnet wallet cannot satisfy the mainnet participation requirement, and we will be unable to display your earned points balance on the mainnet dApp (as there is no connected address). Once linked, the pairing is locked until RFG distribution, so check your mainnet address carefully before you sign. Note: Wallet linking is completed on preprod.realfi.co and NOT on the mainnet dApp.
  2. Wallets that do not qualify do not convert. Under the Points Program Terms, Pioneer Season points held by a wallet that does not meet the mainnet participation requirement do not vest and are forfeited.

Referrals carry over; SPO codes close with the season

Referral relationships established during the Pioneer Season will continue into the Voyager Season.

The SPO Accelerator was built for testnet, and it closes with the Pioneer Season. Stake pool operator affiliate codes stop earning at the Pioneer Season close; points already earned through them remain in provisional balances, subject to the same checks as all other points. [Our thanks to every SPO who brought delegators to testnet; we will share news on a mainnet role for SPOs separately.]

More information on the Voyager Season and the referral programme will follow in due course.

One number still to come

The final Pioneer Season RFG allocation has not yet been set. We want to get this right and do right by our community of testers, so we will confirm the allocation before any conversion takes place and announce it publicly at that time.

Thank you for testing, building, experimenting, and sticking with RealFi throughout the Pioneer Season. Your feedback, ideas, and continued participation have played a meaningful role in shaping what we’ve built so far. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped push the platform forward, uncover what needed improving, and bring RealFi to life alongside us.

There’s still a lot ahead, and we’re excited to keep building with you. Here’s to Mainnet! 🚀

The RealFi Team