Polygon (POL) is the network token of Polygon PoS, an Ethereum-compatible chain, and of AggLayer, which connects multiple blockchains.
Polygon was started in 2017 by developers from India as 'Matic Network' (per the Polygon blog) and rebranded as 'Polygon' in 2021. Several outlets reported that co-founder Sandeep Nailwal became CEO of the Polygon Foundation in 2025.
Polygon PoS runs the same way as Ethereum (EVM-compatible) with lower fees, so payment, gaming and NFT services with many small transactions have used Polygon. Polygon describes itself as scaling infrastructure tied to the Ethereum ecosystem.
Polygon replaced MATIC with POL as the gas and staking token of Polygon PoS in a mainnet upgrade on September 4, 2024, per the Polygon blog. The conversion rate was 1 MATIC to 1 POL.
Polygon reported in 2025 that about 99% of MATIC on Polygon PoS had migrated to POL, and CoinGecko lists the MATIC-to-POL migration as completed. POL became the core token of the redesign Polygon calls 'Polygon 2.0'.
Data provided by CoinGecko
POL launched with an initial supply of 10 billion tokens, matching MATIC, and per Polygon's documentation has a designed 2% annual emission (1% for validators, 1% for the community treasury). Current circulating supply is best checked on aggregators such as CoinGecko.
POL is used to pay fees on Polygon PoS, for validator staking and for network security. The Polygon Foundation said in 2026 it was preparing a mechanism to burn part of the POL supply, so the status and size of any burn should be confirmed through official announcements.
Polygon became known for big-brand adoption. Nike, Starbucks Odyssey and Reddit's collectible avatars all ran on Polygon, though some programs, such as Starbucks Odyssey, have since ended.
Polygon was chosen by enterprises mainly for low fees, compatibility with Ethereum tooling and developer support. Polygon PoS now positions stablecoin payments and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization as its main use cases.
AggLayer (aggregation layer) is Polygon's cross-chain layer that aims to connect many blockchains so their liquidity and users work like one network. Polygon uses tools such as zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to make cross-chain transfers secure.
Polygon has narrowed its strategy to two pillars: Polygon PoS and AggLayer. Per Polygon's official site, the sequencer of the Polygon zkEVM Mainnet Beta, a ZK rollup, was shut down on July 3, 2026, and the network no longer produces blocks.
Polygon's 'Gigagas' roadmap, published on the Polygon blog, targets raising Polygon PoS throughput toward 100,000 transactions per second with near-instant finality. The goal is aimed at payments and institutional infrastructure.
Polygon also plans to connect more chains to AggLayer to deliver unified liquidity and fast cross-chain movement. Timelines and results should be tracked through Polygon's official announcements.
Polygon competes intensely with Ethereum layer 2 networks such as Arbitrum, Optimism and Base. Polygon's frequent strategic shifts, including the MATIC-to-POL migration and the zkEVM shutdown, have drawn criticism that its direction is hard to follow.
Key open questions for Polygon are how much network value accrues to POL and how the emission and burn policy and AggLayer adoption develop. This article is for information only and is not investment advice; any investment decision is your own responsibility.
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