POL (ex-MATIC)

POL is Polygon’s network token, introduced as the successor to MATIC. It is used to pay gas and to support staking on Polygon Chain. Ethereum-based MATIC can be migrated to POL at a 1:1 ratio, while MATIC held on Polygon Chain was converted automatically under the network upgrade. Polygon’s broader vision gives POL possible roles across an aggregated network, but those broader roles should be treated as governance- and implementation-dependent rather than assumed live everywhere.

Polygon began with MATIC as the token for a single proof-of-stake chain. The Polygon 2.0 design needed a token that could coordinate staking, validator incentives, and possible services across a larger family of Polygon chains. POL addresses that design goal by replacing MATIC, supporting validator and gas functions today on Polygon Chain, and providing a framework for governed emissions and future ecosystem coordination. This is a protocol-token redesign, not a claim that every proposed Polygon 2.0 component is already operating.

On Polygon Chain, POL is the native asset used for transaction gas and staking. On Ethereum, the Polygon migration contract exchanges MATIC and POL 1:1, subject to its governance-controlled unmigration state; users on other chains or custodial platforms may have chain- or venue-specific steps. The POL ERC-20 contract is source-verified and non-upgradeable in the PIP-17 design, but it grants an emission role the ability to mint within a per-second cap, while governance can manage the cap and related permissions. Polygon’s current documentation says emissions are distributed through an upgradeable EmissionManager to staking and treasury contracts. Holding POL alone should not be read as a guaranteed legal revenue share, redemption right, or ownership of Polygon assets; any governance participation depends on the applicable Polygon governance process.