Polygon layoffs nearly 30% to accelerate transformation, stablecoin payment track welcomes major players

01 Strategic Restructuring and Layoff Controversy

Recently, the veteran scaling solution Polygon in the blockchain space has sparked an internal upheaval. According to multiple media reports citing insiders, Polygon has carried out a large-scale internal layoff, reducing approximately 30% of its total staff.

This is not the first time Polygon has undergone significant personnel adjustments. As early as 2024, the company laid off nearly 20% of its employees to respond to market changes. The current layoffs are larger in scale and more sensitive in timing.

This comes after Polygon announced a broader business restructuring plan. The company explicitly stated that it is readjusting its staff structure and resource allocation around a new “Payment First” strategy.

02 From Scaling Narrative to Comprehensive Transition to Payment First

The recent layoff controversy is essentially a natural result of Polygon's fundamental strategic shift. In the past, Polygon (and its predecessor Matic Network) was primarily positioned as an Ethereum sidechain scaling solution, serving the booming DeFi and NFT ecosystems.

However, as market competition intensifies and industry hot topics shift, Polygon's management clearly envisions a broader future—becoming an infrastructure giant in the stablecoin payment sector.

This transformation is not just talk but is built on solid acquisitions and integrations. Recently, Polygon completed a series of strategic acquisitions worth over $250 million, including the notable acquisitions of the US-compliant fiat on-ramp Coinme and cross-chain payment infrastructure provider Sequence.

These acquisitions clearly outline Polygon's ambitions: to create a complete closed-loop from traditional fiat to crypto assets, and then to seamless cross-chain payments, positioning itself as the foundation of the next-generation digital payment network.

03 Market Reaction and Token Performance

Any major corporate strategic adjustment will be directly reflected in the price of its core assets. As the governance and utility token of the Polygon ecosystem, POL (upgraded from MATIC) market performance is an important window into market sentiment.

As of January 16, 2026, the real-time price of POL is approximately $0.1479. Its market cap is about $1.564 billion, ranking 72nd among global cryptocurrencies.

Notably, trading on mainstream exchanges like Gate remains highly active. Data shows that Gate is one of the most popular exchanges for trading POL, with the POL/USDT trading pair reaching a trading volume of $2,462,446 in the past 24 hours.

This reflects that, despite internal restructuring pains, the market still maintains considerable interest and liquidity support for Polygon's long-term transformation strategy.

04 Stablecoin Payments: Polygon's Target in the Hundred-Billion Track

Polygon's aggressive transformation at the cost of layoffs raises the question: how big is the potential of the stablecoin payment track it is betting on? The answer may be beyond imagination.

Global payments giant Visa revealed that the annualized settlement volume of stablecoins on its network has reached $4.5 billion, with significant monthly growth. Although this still accounts for a small proportion compared to Visa's total annual payments of $14.2 trillion, its growth momentum is seen as a precursor to a financial infrastructure revolution.

On the other hand, the CEO of a US bank recently issued a warning that interest-bearing stablecoins could potentially siphon off up to $6 trillion in deposits from traditional banking systems in the future, indirectly confirming the caution and importance traditional finance places on this emerging force.

Polygon, through its acquisition of Coinme for compliant fiat on-ramps and the development of seamless payment experiences via Sequence, aims to secure a favorable position in this upcoming payment revolution. Its target customers may expand from pure crypto users to traditional enterprises and ordinary consumers seeking faster, cheaper cross-border settlements.

Future Outlook

As of January 16, the latest POL price on Gate exchange is $0.1479, with a 24-hour trading volume exceeding $2.4 million. The market's focus has shifted from solely the scaling narrative to whether Polygon can truly establish a solid moat in the payment track.