What is POL (ex-MATIC)? It is Polygon’s native utility and staking token, introduced as the 1:1 successor to MATIC on 4 September 2024. POL pays transaction fees on Polygon PoS, supports validator staking, and is designed to provide economic security for a broader network of Polygon chains connected through AggLayer.
Core technology and blockchain architecture
Polygon is an Ethereum-focused blockchain infrastructure platform. Its main public network, Polygon PoS, is EVM-compatible and designed to provide lower-cost, faster transaction execution than Ethereum mainnet while retaining Ethereum connectivity through staking contracts and periodic checkpoints.
Polygon PoS uses two principal layers. Heimdall-v2 coordinates proof-of-stake consensus, validator sets, block production and checkpoints, while Bor executes EVM transactions. Heimdall-v2 uses the Cosmos SDK and CometBFT, and Polygon documentation states that milestones can reach finality in approximately 2 to 5 seconds when at least two-thirds of validating stake agrees.
AggLayer is Polygon’s interoperability framework. It is designed to connect different chains through a unified bridge, state-transition proofs and Pessimistic Proofs that verify cross-chain asset and message claims. Polygon CDK provides software for launching application-specific chains, including payment, institutional, compliance and tokenized-asset networks.
Polygon zkEVM Mainnet Beta was sunset on 3 July 2026. The network stopped producing blocks, shifting Polygon’s development focus toward Polygon PoS, AggLayer, CDK-based chains and payment infrastructure.
Primary uses and applications
POL is the gas token on Polygon PoS, where it pays for transfers, smart-contract interactions and decentralized applications. It is also used by validators and delegators. Validators stake POL, operate network infrastructure and may receive staking rewards and transaction fees, while delegators assign tokens to validators without running their own nodes.
Polygon supports decentralized finance, gaming, non-fungible tokens, payments, stablecoin settlement and tokenized real-world assets. Stripe enabled crypto payments using Polygon PoS at more than three million stores globally. Starbucks used the network for its Odyssey digital collectibles and loyalty program, while Polygon CDK and AggLayer are used in compliance-focused tokenization projects such as T-REX Network.
Who is behind POL (ex-MATIC) and where is it based?
Polygon began in 2017 as Matic Network and its mainnet launched in 2020. The project rebranded as Polygon in February 2021 as its scope expanded from a single Ethereum scaling network to a broader infrastructure ecosystem.
The original founders were Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal, Anurag Arjun and Mihailo Bjelic. Kanani and Arjun left the organization in 2023, while Bjelic stepped down from the Polygon Foundation board and reduced his day-to-day involvement in May 2025. Nailwal is identified as co-founder and CEO of the Polygon Foundation, and Marc Boiron is CEO of Polygon Labs.
The project originated in India and operates as an international organization. Polygon’s public materials identify Polygon Labs UI (Cayman) Ltd. as the operating legal entity in the Cayman Islands. Polygon Foundation and Polygon Labs are the principal organizations associated with the ecosystem.
Tokenomics and supply
POL began with an initial supply of 10 billion tokens and uses ongoing emissions rather than a permanently fixed supply. Polygon’s long-term model targets 2% annual emissions, divided approximately between validator rewards and the Community Treasury. The treasury allocation supports ecosystem development, research, grants and adoption, while validator emissions support network security.
CoinStats records a circulating supply of 10,623,408,383 POL and a total supply of 10,623,990,265 POL. POL is priced at $0.113, with a market cap of $1.20B (rank #95) and 24h volume of $117.72M. Its 24h change is -4.11%, its 7d change is +11.33%, and its 30d change is +0.00%. The all-time high is $1.29, the current price is 91.24% below it.
Consensus, security and competitive position
Polygon PoS uses proof-of-stake. Validators lock POL through Ethereum staking contracts, participate in Heimdall-v2 consensus and produce or validate Bor blocks. Ethereum-anchored checkpoints, validator rotation and economic penalties form additional parts of the security model.
Polygon’s advantages include EVM compatibility, low-cost execution, Ethereum connectivity, an established developer ecosystem and modular chain deployment through CDK. POL’s planned role across AggLayer services could extend its utility beyond gas and staking to other network functions, although those uses depend on development and governance.
Current development and roadmap
Polygon’s roadmap centers on AggLayer interoperability, the Gigagas performance program and an Open Money Stack for stablecoin payments. The Bhilai hardfork targeted approximately 1,000 transactions per second, while the Rio upgrade prepared Polygon PoS for approximately 5,000 transactions per second. Polygon’s longer-term Gigagas ambition is up to 100,000 transactions per second.
Polygon is also expanding CDK and AggLayer connections for institutional chains, tokenized assets and payment networks. In January 2026, Polygon Labs announced agreements to acquire Coinme and Sequence for more than $250 million, supporting regulated fiat access, wallets and stablecoin payment infrastructure.