Polygon's Stack of Money Framework Redefines Cross-Border Stablecoin Payments

Polygon Labs has announced a transformative approach to borderless payments through its new stack of money infrastructure, designed to address a critical gap in global financial systems. The Open Money Stack represents a modular architecture that enables financial institutions and fintech platforms to build customized payment solutions without managing multiple vendors or complex technical integrations.

Market Opportunity Driving Institutional Adoption

The financial world is experiencing a fundamental shift toward tokenized assets and onchain settlement. Traditional cross-border payment systems remain inefficient, requiring days for settlement and multiple intermediaries that inflate costs. Stablecoins have emerged as a compelling alternative, offering immediate settlement and reduced operational overhead. However, institutions need flexible infrastructure that can adapt to different regulatory environments and business requirements. Polygon’s framework directly addresses this need by providing a composable stack where organizations can select and integrate only the components they require.

Interoperable Architecture Simplifies Payment Integration

Rather than forcing institutions into a rigid, all-or-nothing system, the Open Money Stack embraces interoperability as its core principle. The framework integrates critical components—liquidity management, payment orchestration, fiat onramps, and regulatory compliance tools—into a cohesive yet flexible ecosystem. This building blocks approach eliminates the friction typically associated with blockchain-based payments, such as token swaps and cross-chain bridging. Organizations can customize their stack of money to match their specific operational needs while maintaining seamless connections with other networks and existing systems.

Sandeep Nailwal, founder of Polygon, and Marc Boiron, CEO of Polygon Labs, emphasized in a statement that their mission centers on moving all value onchain while ensuring the process remains “seamless, open, and interoperable.” The framework’s design reflects this philosophy by prioritizing ease of use alongside technical sophistication.

Strategic Vision for Seamless Onchain Settlement

Polygon positions this infrastructure as a competitive response to growing institutional and regulatory interest in compliant blockchain-based payments. The recent collaboration between Polygon and Mastercard—announced in late 2025—demonstrates how major financial players are actively integrating blockchain infrastructure into their existing service offerings. The Open Money Stack extends this momentum by providing a comprehensive foundation for payment rails that rival traditional finance in efficiency while surpassing them in speed and cost-effectiveness.

The framework’s launch signals Polygon’s commitment to becoming the backbone of borderless digital commerce, enabling a future where stablecoin payments feel as natural and frictionless as today’s digital transfers, but with the transparency and security advantages of blockchain technology.