What Is Polygon (POL)? Ethereum Scaling Solution

Last updated: October 2026

Polygon is a group of blockchain networks built to make Ethereum-compatible apps cheaper and faster. Its main product is Polygon PoS, a high-throughput chain where transactions typically cost fractions of a cent. Around it sit Agglayer, a cross-chain settlement layer, and the Chain Development Kit (CDK) for launching new chains. POL, which replaced MATIC in 2024, is the gas and staking token. In 2026 the Polygon crypto story is mostly about payments and stablecoins: the zkEVM rollup was shut down, Polygon Labs bought payment and wallet companies, and the PoS chain was upgraded for faster finality. Because most readers arrive wanting to move funds, this guide also has a full section on bridging to and from Polygon.

For the bigger picture, see the Crypto Bridging hub: it compares the options and points to the next guide to read.

Key takeaways

• Founded in India in 2017 as Matic Network by Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal and Anurag Arjun, with Mihailo Bjelic joining as a co-founder. It rebranded to Polygon in 2021.
• MATIC migrated to POL 1:1 starting 4 September 2024. POL has about 2% yearly emissions, split between validators and a community treasury.
• Polygon zkEVM’s sequencer shut down on 1 July 2026. Remaining wallet funds can be claimed on Ethereum until 31 December 2027.
• Polygon PoS is technically a sidechain with its own validators, not a rollup. Bridging back to Ethereum takes longer than bridging in.
• Always bridge stablecoins as native USDC where possible, and test with a small amount first.

History and founders

2017–2020, Matic Network: Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal and Anurag Arjun started Matic in Mumbai to scale Ethereum with a Plasma-plus-proof-of-stake sidechain, and Mihailo Bjelic joined as a co-founder. A Binance Launchpad sale in April 2019 raised $5 million, and mainnet launched in mid-2020.

2021, the Polygon rebrand: DeFi users fleeing Ethereum gas fees moved billions in value to the chain. Aave, Curve and SushiSwap deployed, and Matic renamed itself Polygon with a “multi-chain” vision.

2022–2023, brands and ZK: Polygon signed Web3 projects with Starbucks (Odyssey), Reddit (collectible avatars) and Nike, and launched the Polygon zkEVM rollup beta in March 2023.

2024, MATIC → POL: POL became the native gas and staking token on 4 September 2024, and Agglayer launched to connect Polygon chains with shared liquidity.

2025–2026, payments focus: Sandeep Nailwal became CEO of the Polygon Foundation in mid-2025, with Marc Boiron leading Polygon Labs. Upgrades to the PoS chain cut finality to seconds as part of a high-throughput roadmap. Polygon Labs announced the zkEVM sunset, then in January 2026 agreed to acquire US payments firm Coinme and wallet-infrastructure company Sequence, valued together at around $250 million, for an “Open Money Stack” aimed at stablecoin payments. Prediction market Polymarket, among the best-known apps on Polygon PoS, kept the chain in the headlines.

Polygon’s solutions

For how this compares with Ethereum’s own L2s, see Polygon vs Ethereum.

Tokenomics

• Initial supply: 10 billion POL, minted 1:1 for MATIC.
• Emissions: about 2% a year, with roughly 1% to validators and delegators and 1% to a community treasury. Supply is therefore growing slowly, so check a tracker for the live figure.
• Utility: gas on Polygon PoS, staking to secure PoS (and, by design, other Agglayer chains), and governance.
• Staking: delegate POL to a validator through the official staking dashboard. Unbonding takes a few days of checkpoints. See how to stake Polygon.

If an exchange or wallet still shows MATIC, check whether it has completed the migration. Tokens left as MATIC on Ethereum can be upgraded through the official portal.

How to bridge tokens from Ethereum to Polygon

Option A: withdraw from an exchange directly to Polygon (cheapest)

Most large exchanges let you withdraw USDC, USDT, ETH or POL straight to the Polygon network. Choose “Polygon” (sometimes labeled “Polygon PoS” or “MATIC network”) as the network. There’s no bridge step and no Ethereum gas.

Option B: the official Polygon Portal bridge

1. Go to portal.polygon.technology (bookmark it) and connect your wallet on Ethereum.
2. Choose the token and amount. You’ll pay Ethereum gas for the approval and the deposit.
3. Deposits from Ethereum to Polygon PoS usually arrive in roughly 20–30 minutes.
4. Get a little POL for gas on arrival. The portal and many wallets offer a small gas swap so you aren’t stuck holding tokens with no gas.

Option C: third-party fast bridges

Aggregators and liquidity bridges (such as Across, Stargate and routing apps that compare them) deliver funds in seconds to minutes for a small fee. They’re useful when you’d otherwise wait on checkpoints, but each adds its own smart-contract risk. Our step-by-step bridge to Polygon guide compares routes and costs.

Guide to bridging Polygon back to Ethereum

On the PoS bridge, withdrawals must wait for a checkpoint to be posted to Ethereum. That typically takes about 45 minutes to 3 hours, and then you sign a second “claim” transaction on Ethereum, paying mainnet gas. Fast bridges skip the wait for a fee. Old Plasma-bridge exits are different and take about seven days.

Bridging stablecoins to Polygon

Polygon PoS has native USDC issued by Circle as well as the older bridged USDC.e. Many apps now prefer native USDC. When possible, withdraw native USDC directly from an exchange, or use Circle’s CCTP-based routes that burn on one chain and mint on the other. If you hold USDC.e, check whether your target app accepts it before moving funds.

NFT bridging between Ethereum and Polygon

The PoS bridge can move ERC-721 and ERC-1155 NFTs only if the collection has been “mapped,” meaning a linked contract exists on both chains. Most Ethereum collections aren’t mapped, and most Polygon-native collections (game items, brand collectibles) have no Ethereum version at all. Before bridging, check the project’s docs. If it isn’t supported, you sell on one chain and buy on the other instead. Never use a “NFT bridge” link sent to you by DM.

Bridging from other chains (NEAR, Cosmos, Fantom/Sonic)

Non-EVM and smaller chains usually route through a general bridge or aggregator. A common path is to swap to USDC on the source chain, bridge USDC to Polygon, then swap to whatever you need there. Fantom has since migrated to Sonic, so check that your route supports the current network.

Deploying your own token bridge (for developers)

Projects that want their ERC-20 to move between Ethereum and Polygon PoS can request mapping through Polygon’s token-mapping process, or build a custom bridge on the state-sync messaging tools. New chains launched with CDK get Agglayer’s unified bridge by default. Audit any custom bridge contract. Bridges are the most-attacked contracts in crypto.

Tips for bridging to Polygon

• Send a small test transaction first.
• Confirm the token contract on Polygonscan after arrival, and add it to your wallet manually if needed.
• Keep a few POL for gas and never bridge your entire balance in one go.
• Revoke bridge approvals you no longer use.

Ecosystem

• Payments and stablecoins: a large share of activity is stablecoin transfers, including remittances and merchant payments.
• DeFi: Aave, Uniswap and QuickSwap are among the long-running deployments. See best Polygon DeFi projects.
• Prediction markets: Polymarket runs on Polygon PoS.
• Real-world assets: several tokenized fund and bond issuers use Polygon.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Very low fees and fast finality on PoS
• Clear payments strategy, backed by acquisitions
• Large existing user base and well-known apps
• Full EVM compatibility, so Ethereum tools work as-is

Cons

• PoS is a sidechain with a different security model from rollups
• zkEVM’s shutdown shows strategy has changed direction more than once
• Fierce competition from Base, Arbitrum, Solana and payment-specific chains
• Ongoing ~2% POL emissions

FAQ

Is Polygon a layer 2?

Not strictly. Polygon PoS is a sidechain with its own proof-of-stake validators that posts checkpoints to Ethereum, so Ethereum doesn’t enforce its correctness the way it does for a rollup. Polygon’s true rollup, zkEVM, was shut down in 2026. Chains built with Polygon’s CDK can be rollups or validiums that settle through Agglayer.

Why did MATIC change to POL?

POL was designed as a “hyperproductive” token that can secure many Polygon chains at once, not just the PoS chain, and it added a small annual emission to fund validators and the ecosystem. The 1:1 migration began on 4 September 2024. POL now pays gas on Polygon PoS, and most exchanges converted user balances automatically.

How long does it take to bridge from Polygon to Ethereum?

With the official PoS bridge, usually about 45 minutes to 3 hours while the checkpoint is posted, followed by a claim transaction on Ethereum. Third-party fast bridges deliver in minutes for a fee. Deposits in the other direction, from Ethereum to Polygon, usually take around 20–30 minutes.

Is POL a good investment?

POL is a bet that Polygon becomes a major stablecoin and payments network and that Agglayer pulls in other chains. Risks include intense L2 competition, low fee revenue per transaction, and supply growth from emissions. See our POL price prediction for scenarios, and size any position as a high-risk holding.

Crypto is volatile and risky; this is education, not financial advice. Do your own research.