POL (ex-MATIC) Price

What Is POL (Ex-MATIC)?

POL is the token of the Polygon network, and it replaced the older MATIC token in September 2024. Polygon is a group of blockchains built to make Ethereum-style transactions cheaper and faster. Its best-known chain, Polygon PoS, processes transactions on its own and regularly posts checkpoints to Ethereum, so it acts as a scaling network for Ethereum. POL pays transaction fees on Polygon PoS and is staked by the validators who secure it.

Polygon began in 2017 as Matic Network, founded by Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal and Anurag Arjun, and it rebranded as Polygon in 2021. Two organizations lead the project today. The Polygon Foundation is run by Nailwal, who became its CEO in June 2025, and Polygon Labs, the main development company, is led by Marc Boiron.

Polygon says its goal is to become a fast, low-cost network for payments and tokenized assets, linked to other chains through a system it calls AggLayer.

How POL Works

The MATIC-to-POL switch happened on September 4, 2024, at a rate of one POL per MATIC. On Polygon PoS, the network's fee token changed to POL automatically, so wallets there didn't need to do anything. MATIC held as a token on Ethereum had to be swapped through a migration contract in the Polygon Portal. Most exchanges converted customer balances for them, and about 99% of MATIC had migrated by September 2025.

Polygon designed POL to secure more than one chain at a time, which is why it replaced MATIC rather than simply renaming it. POL started with a supply of 10 billion and adds about 2% a year, with half going to validators and half to a community treasury, according to Polygon's token docs. An October 2025 forum proposal would end that inflation and add buybacks, but it hasn't gone to a binding vote.

Polygon is also changing its product lineup. The Polygon zkEVM chain is being shut down, with its sequencer stopped on July 1, 2026, while Polygon PoS is being upgraded for higher speed under a "Gigagas" roadmap.

What People Use It For

POL pays transaction fees on Polygon PoS, where fees run to fractions of a cent, and validators and their delegators stake it to earn rewards. Holders can delegate POL to a validator without running one themselves, and those rewards come from POL's roughly 2% yearly emissions.

Circle issues USDC natively on Polygon PoS. The network itself handles payments, stablecoin transfers, games and NFTs. Polygon's October 2025 Rio upgrade focused on payments, with the project targeting about 5,000 transactions per second.

People also hold and trade POL on exchanges. For background, read about how layer 2 networks work and how to invest in Polygon.

Risks To Know

Supply keeps growing. About 2% new POL a year dilutes holders who don't stake, and a proposal to end inflation hasn't passed.

Polygon PoS has had reliability problems. On September 10, 2025, a bug delayed transaction finality by 10 to 15 minutes and required an emergency hard fork, and another consensus-layer incident followed in January 2026. Finality is the point when a transaction can't be reversed.

The strategy has shifted several times. Polygon is shutting down its zkEVM chain, and Polygon Labs has announced layoffs in 2026 as it aims for profitability in 2027. Competing Ethereum scaling networks such as Base and Arbitrum draw much of the same activity.

In 2023, the SEC named MATIC as a security in lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase, and Robinhood delisted it. The SEC later dropped those claims, and no court ever ruled on MATIC's status. There's no US spot ETF.

How To Buy POL

POL is listed on all the large US exchanges we track: Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Bitstamp, Binance.US and Crypto.com. Bitstamp's US service stops taking new deposits and purchases on Feb. 1, 2027. International buyers can find it on OKX's global platform, Bitget, MEXC and Gate.

If you still hold MATIC on Ethereum in a personal wallet, you can convert it one-for-one through the Polygon Portal. Polygon has said there's no deadline to upgrade, though the community could set one later. Exchanges have already converted MATIC balances for their customers. The table below shows what your money actually gets you at each exchange after fees and spread.

POL And Your Taxes

The IRS treats POL as property. Selling or swapping it creates a capital gain or loss, taxed at lower long-term rates after a year. Staking rewards are ordinary income when you gain control of them, under Revenue Ruling 2023-14.

The IRS hasn't said whether the 1:1 MATIC-to-POL migration is a taxable swap. Keep records of your original MATIC cost and ask a tax professional. Read more on how crypto taxes work.

FAQ

Is POL A Good Investment?

That decision depends on factors you'll need to weigh yourself. Polygon is widely used for payments and stablecoins, but POL adds about 2% new supply a year, the network has had finality incidents and the project has changed direction several times. Consider the competition from other Ethereum scaling networks and how much risk fits your plan.

What Happened To MATIC?

MATIC was replaced by POL on September 4, 2024, at one POL for each MATIC. On Polygon PoS the change was automatic. MATIC held on Ethereum had to be swapped through the Polygon Portal, and exchanges converted customer balances. About 99% of MATIC had migrated by September 2025.

Read our coverage of the MATIC to POL upgrade.

What Is The Max Supply Of POL?

POL has no hard cap. It launched with 10 billion tokens and adds about 2% a year, split between validator rewards and a community treasury, with a contract limit on how fast new tokens can be minted. An October 2025 proposal to end inflation remains a draft.

Who Created POL?

Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal and Anurag Arjun founded Matic Network in 2017, which became Polygon. POL was developed by Polygon Labs. Today, Nailwal leads the Polygon Foundation and Marc Boiron leads Polygon Labs. The project dropped the Matic Network name for Polygon in 2021.

Can I Buy POL In An IRA?

There's no US spot POL ETF, so a regular brokerage IRA can't hold it. Some self-directed crypto IRA providers support POL directly. Check whether the provider supports staking, since POL holders earn rewards by delegating. Compare their fees and supported coins in our list of crypto IRA providers.

Where Can I Buy POL In The US?

Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Bitstamp, Binance.US and Crypto.com all list POL for US customers. OKX lists it on its global platform for customers outside the US. Confirm the exchange serves your state, and choose the right network, Polygon or Ethereum, when you withdraw. If you still hold old MATIC on Ethereum, you can convert it through the Polygon Portal.