Polygon (POL) is riding a wave of real momentum around $0.12, as the Madhugiri hard fork delivers a 40% throughput boost, expanded gas limits, and account abstraction upgrades that push the chain toward its 2026 gigagas 100,000 TPS vision—immediately reflected in a post-fork spike in on-chain activity and renewed comparisons to Solana’s performance claims. The ecosystem’s adoption curve is accelerating fast, with Revolut’s POL integration clearing $690M+ across 28 countries in just a week, adding fuel to Polygon’s payments narrative alongside recent Stripe and Mastercard tie-ins. DeFi momentum is equally strong: TVL has surged past $1.2B, and top protocols like QuickSwap, Polymarket, and Aave are leading inflows while Angle and Bridgers explode triple digits. Meanwhile, debates over a possible revert to the MATIC ticker continue, but traction from AggLayer liquidity rails, validator upgrades, and RevLayer payments overshadow branding noise. With POL holding weekly gains after tagging a new ATH at $0.13, analysts eye upside toward $0.123–$0.15, while extreme fear conditions hint at a broader rebound. Polygon’s positioning as a fast, finality-focused settlement layer has never looked clearer—and the market is taking notice.
