Polygon, originally launched as Matic Network in October 2017, is a leading Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum. It’s designed to significantly boost transaction speed, slash costs, and enhance scalability, all while leveraging Ethereum’s robust security.

At its heart is the Polygon SDK, a modular framework that empowers developers to build a diverse range of applications. This includes optimistic rollup chains, zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup chains, and standalone chains. Polygon effectively transforms Ethereum into a multi-chain ecosystem, often compared to Polkadot, Cosmos, or Avalanche, but with the added benefit of Ethereum’s strong security and vibrant developer community.

Polygon’s native token, previously MATIC, officially transitioned to POL on September 4, 2024. This change supports its evolution into Polygon 2.0, a groundbreaking vision for an aggregated blockchain network via the AggLayer. POL serves as the native gas and staking token for the Polygon Proof-of-Stake (PoS) chain and is set to play even bigger roles in cross-chain interoperability and governance.

Key Features

  • Scalability: Polygon boasts impressive scalability, capable of processing up to 65,000 transactions per second (TPS) on a single sidechain. Recent testnet results have already exceeded 1,000 TPS, and the ambition is to reach over 100,000+ TPS.
  • Plasma and ZK Technology: It cleverly combines Ethereum’s Plasma framework with ZK rollups to enable highly scalable and secure smart contracts.
  • Ecosystem Growth: The Polygon ecosystem is booming, hosting over 50 decentralized applications (DApps). Stablecoin transfer volumes alone surged to $134 billion in April 2025, marking a 33% month-over-month increase.
  • Interoperability: While its primary focus is supporting Ethereum, Polygon has plans to extend compatibility to other basechains through community consensus.

The POL Token

  • Purpose: POL is an ERC-20 token used for transaction fees, staking, and governance on the Polygon PoS chain. It replaced MATIC at a 1:1 ratio. A 2% annual emission over a decade supports network security and ongoing community development.
  • Supply: The total supply of POL is fixed at 10 billion tokens, with approximately 1.5 billion POL in circulating supply as of June 2025. The full token release for MATIC was completed by December 2022, and POL is now actively in circulation.

What Makes Polygon Stand Out?

Polygon shines as a Layer 2 scaling solution that enhances Ethereum without altering its foundational layer. Its key differentiators include:

  • Multi-Solution Framework: Developers have the flexibility to choose from various scaling solutions, including Plasma, ZK rollups, and sidechains, to best suit their application’s needs.
  • High Throughput: It achieves an impressive throughput of up to 65,536 transactions per block on its PoS sidechains, with recent testnet advancements pushing beyond 5,000 TPS.
  • AggLayer: This ZK-powered cross-chain interoperability bridge unifies liquidity across different chains, creating a seamless experience. Major ecosystems like OKX’s X Layer and Immutable have already adopted it.
  • Polygon 2.0: This ambitious roadmap aims to integrate all Polygon networks into one aggregated ecosystem, with POL serving as the central token for gas, staking, and future services like the Polygon Staking Hub (planned for 2025).

Polygon’s strong emphasis on developer flexibility and user experience positions it as a critical piece of infrastructure for Web3, DeFi, and NFTs. It has secured notable partnerships with major brands like Starbucks, Adidas, and even Portugal’s National Postal Service for crypto stamps, further solidifying its presence in the mainstream.