13 Aug AMA with Polygon (Sandeep Naiwal) – Hosted by Bitfinex & BitfreedomGus
Since its founding, Polygon has grown into one of the vital broadly used blockchains in DeFi, driving innovation throughout scalability, person expertise, and multi-chain structure. The improve from MATIC to POL marked a pivotal step in aligning the community’s tokenomics with its long-term imaginative and prescient, making certain higher utility for holders and stakers throughout its increasing ecosystem.
Now, with the launch of Agglayer, Polygon is making a extra sturdy and interconnected surroundings for builders, aiming to unify the fragmented Web3 panorama and ship a seamless, internet-like expertise for the way forward for decentralised functions.
On 8 August 2025, Bitfinex hosted an AMA discussing these developments and Polygon’s imaginative and prescient for the long run. Take pleasure in!
Bitfinex: Whats up everybody and welcome to a different unique Bitfinex AMA! I’m BitfreedomGus, and right this moment I’ve the pleasure of welcoming Sandeep Nailwal, Founder and CEO of Polygon.
Polygon has opened the doorways to DeFi for thousands and thousands of customers, and now it takes a daring step in direction of unifying every part in crypto. As we strategy virtually one 12 months for the reason that improve from MATIC to POL, we’ll check out what this transition has meant for the community and discover the subsequent chapters in Polygon’s journey, corresponding to the brand new Agglayer, which I’m personally curious to study extra about.
Sandeep Nailwal, welcome. It’s nice to have you ever right here with the Bitfinex group.
Sandeep Nailwal: Hey BitFreedomGus, excited to be right here! Bitfinex was the second trade I ever used after Poloniex. After I first signed up on Bitfinex, it was a large step up by way of UX in comparison with Poloniex.
Bitfinex: Superior! Appears to be like like we’ve bought a few OGs right here!
Sandeep Nailwal: So an extended historical past with Bitfinex for me, it’s a full circle second for me to be right here with you guys. Honoured!
Bitfinex: To start, might you share about your background and what drawback you had been most keen about fixing when Polygon was created?
Sandeep Nailwal: I come from a really humble background in India the place I needed to begin supporting my family with revenue at a really early age. I felt that life didn’t present equal alternative for all of us. A bit of bit right here and there and I might’ve been working in an outdated cell restore store in Delhi, India. The Web supplied me the chance to understand my potential and be right here in entrance of all of you and be a minimum of considerably heard.
I feel crypto has even greater potential on the subject of empowerment of each particular person human being. And that’s the principle mindset I’ve to be working in crypto. Polygon particularly…
I really feel that for Polygon, I feel the blockchain and crypto business is rising and since day 0 our objective was to offer the large scalability to crypto for it to go to billions of customers.
The objective of Polygon is to allow all app builders, whether or not they’re constructing on one shared blockchain like Polygon POS or they need their very own chains, they can construct it trustlessly and securely whereas protecting the person expertise as seamless as doable.
The customers ought to have the ability to use their cash and do with it no matter they need, wherever they need, at any time when they need.
So Polygon is attempting to construct an Web of interconnected blockchains who host end-user apps on 1000’s of blockchains however for finish customers, it looks like one single blockchain, identical to on the Web you as a person are linked to 1 single web, and never web of USA, web of Italy, Web of India and so forth.
Web is one web.
Equally, the blockchains ought to be one single blockchain from the tip person perspective.
Sorry for the lengthy reply however this matter is so near my coronary heart.
Bitfinex: Don’t fear, we recognize this masterclass. What made you are taking up the place of CEO at Polygon Basis?
Sandeep Nailwal: The construction on the basis wasn’t constructed for pace. With a number of founders concerned and an excessive amount of overlap in roles, it grew to become troublesome to maneuver rapidly and clarify choices. I stepped in as CEO of the Polygon Basis to convey sharper focus and assist us execute extra successfully throughout the board.
Marc Boiron, who I consider is among the most succesful CEOs within the business, had already spent the previous couple of years rebuilding the Polygon Labs workforce right into a high-performing organisation. Due to that basis, we had been able to start out delivering virtually instantly.
In simply the previous few months, we’ve constructed a transparent roadmap for our key merchandise. Polygon PoS is among the most generally used public blockchains and helps builders construct low-cost, quick functions which might be straightforward to make use of. We now have a transparent roadmap to make it even sooner, with the intention to help international funds and RWAs, leaning into the areas the place it’s already glorious. The Agglayer is constructed to assist not solely Polygon, however any chain, by unifying all of crypto. It’s our new coordination layer that connects totally different chains right into a single, seamless community, with an emphasis on person expertise that may really feel just like the web everyone knows. Each are crucial to our long-term imaginative and prescient.
We’re now in full delivery mode. We’re shifting quick on funds, together with main upgrades to the mainchain, and launching formidable initiatives just like the Agglayer Breakout Programme and Katana with GSR.
Bitfinex: Thanks once more, Sandeep Nailwal. After years of growth, how has the imaginative and prescient for Polygon advanced?
Sandeep Nailwal: So Polygon began as a single chain, Polygon PoS, which right this moment is among the largest chains by way of every day lively customers for stablecoins and plenty of different use instances.
However over time we realised that no single blockchain can cater to the Web3 apps of the complete world. It’s like saying that every one the apps on the web may very well be constructed on one single information server or one single information centre.
It’s not true; enterprises need to construct on totally different sorts of architectures. DeFi wants a special form of structure, video games want a special structure and so forth. It’s mistaken to suppose that any single blockchain will get all of the apps of Web3.
Therefore Polygon is right this moment centered and architected as a multichain ecosystem. We now have one chain, Polygon PoS, which could be very widespread, however our key product is Agglayer, which is a trustless, chain sovereignty and independence-focused chain cluster.
So right this moment, Polygon is Polygon PoS plus Agglayer, That already has some widespread chains like Wilder World, Katana, Lumia and plenty of extra.
Bitfinex: Wonderful. And with that advanced imaginative and prescient, what’s the newest with Polygon?
Sandeep Nailwal: Proper now, we’re centered on three huge objectives.
➜ First, we’re growing Polygon PoS into the quickest funds chain on the market. The gigagas roadmap we launched can convey speeds that rival and surpass techniques like Visa. We would like individuals to have the ability to ship cash or make purchases immediately and at virtually no price.
To make that occur, we’re upgrading the expertise behind Polygon and dealing carefully with groups like Flipkart, Seize, and Reliance Jio, who’re constructing actual cost use instances with us.
➜ Second, we’re working to get the primary model of Agglayer out by the tip of the 12 months. Though it’s reside proper now, not all of the premium options can be found that may make customers’ lives simpler.
Agglayer is a big step ahead in crypto. Immediately, blockchains are disconnected, utterly separate from each other. There’s no single place the place crypto occurs, however a patchwork of momentary fixes that bridge blockchains collectively.
The Agglayer is designed to attach all of them within the background, much like how the web connects individuals around the globe. It makes utilizing crypto less complicated, sooner, and extra seamless for everybody.
➜ Third, we need to make certain Polygon stakers see actual worth. Proper now, POL is among the solely tokens within the L2 panorama that has actual utility, and utility outdoors a single ecosystem. It’s the token that powers each Polygon and Agglayer. And with the Agglayer Breakout Program, chains that participate and are linked to the Agglayer ship airdrops again to stakers. So should you’re staking POL, this creates a direct hyperlink between the expansion of the ecosystem and the worth of staking.
Bitfinex: Thanks. Are you able to clarify what Polygon revealed in its latest gigagas roadmap replace and what the long run appears to be like like for the community?
Sandeep Nailwal: The goal of the gigagas roadmap is to succeed in 100k TPS, scaling throughput for a greater person expertise that may help the monetary world onchain. Meaning on the spot transactions, dying to reorgs, and new ranges of pace, all with Polygon’s battle-tested reliability. Polygon is aiming to turn into the premier funds and RWAs chain, and that is the milestone we have to attain web scale.
Bitfinex: Talking of roadmap, expertise and updates, what was the latest Heimdall improve, and why does it matter for Polygon?
Sandeep Nailwal: This was step one within the gigagas roadmap, and one of the vital advanced upgrades within the historical past of crypto. Polygon now helps 5-second quick finality, permitting stablecoins to maneuver on the tempo of on a regular basis life and tokenised belongings to settle like shares.
Bitfinex: As you mentioned, Sandeep Nailwal, increasing totally different options to totally different functions. Wonderful. Let’s get again to the improve. Why was MATIC upgraded to POL final 12 months, and what utility does POL provide to holders and stakers?
Sandeep Nailwal: Polygon has advanced over the previous couple of years. The community wanted a token that might have the ability to help future upgrades and accrue worth to holders and stakers in a method that works throughout each Polygon and Agglayer. Not like different L2 tokens, POL has actual utility. It’s the native fuel token of the Polygon community, allocates an annual emission of two% to ecosystem incentives, and permits customers to earn staking rewards. POL additionally consists of mechanisms for group airdrop eligibility by way of the Agglayer Breakout Programme.
Bitfinex: And after that, how can POL holders and stakers accrue worth from the Polygon Community?
Sandeep Nailwal: It’s necessary to keep in mind that whereas many initiatives and tokens are speculative by nature, POL already has quick utility in a broadly used chain that offers basic worth. POL is the fuel and staking token of Polygon, so each transaction on the community is fuelled by POL. Staking POL earns rewards and makes stakers eligible for group airdrops.
As Polygon continues to steer in funds, the demand for POL and community safety will solely develop. POL is the important thing piece, in order that when stakers do the work, they see the rewards, serving to the token accrue worth, even because the groundwork is laid for POL to serve an necessary function in Agglayer. For a straightforward demo on learn how to stake POL, we created a video. Let me ship the hyperlink right here: https://x.com/0xPolygon/standing/1952742853890752571
Bitfinex: I feel your first assertion about Bitfinex was very enlightening, however we’ve got this query anyway. Bitfinex has been a long-term accomplice of Polygon. How has this relationship helped construct belief between the undertaking and the group of holders and merchants over time?
Sandeep Nailwal: I imply, see Bitfinex is the OG amongst the OGs. The group general has achieved superb work, from offering the deepest BTC markets to the world to creating the pivotal stablecoin for the business, i.e., USDT.
I’ve the very best respect for Bitfinex and Tether management, particularly I’m a giant fan of Paolo and his distinctive capacity to foretell long-term developments and work in direction of them in a really calm and composed method.
Thoughts you, in crypto, three months is like one 12 months and Paolo thinks in five-year time frames. 😄 😄
That’s like pondering in a 20-year timeframe, hahaha.
It’s very spectacular and we’re honoured to have a fantastic relationship with Bitfinex.
With Tether, we’ve got cost options applied in Lugano and plenty of different cities. You possibly can pay for every part from meals, to groceries, to even marriage ceremony ceremonies in Lugano in USDT on Polygon.
Bitfinex: Thanks. You’re additionally main and taking part within the Web3 enlargement. That’s one thing superb. Let’s get deeper into Agglayer. What’s Agglayer, and why is it necessary for Polygon’s roadmap?
Sandeep Nailwal: Agglayer is the product to unify all of Web3 and create one single web for cash. It connects L1s, L2s, no matter (it doesn’t matter what layer or what stack), and not using a chain having to sacrifice sovereignty or silo liquidity. With a particular security mechanism reside, Agglayer will have the ability to safely help any chain, no matter underlying safety mannequin. So earlier, once I was speaking about how fragmented and fractured crypto is? Properly, Agglayer fixes that.
And it’ll be run on POL.
Within the newest improve, Agglayer CDK started to help extra stacks than only one. It’s now doable for OP Stack-built chains to natively launch and hook up with Agglayer. That’s the stack utilized by Base, Ink, and so on.
It’s broadly adopted expertise, however launching within the Superchain comes with a tax for interop that Agglayer simply doesn’t have. It already powers 15+ chains, with extra becoming a member of on a regular basis however on Agglayer it comes with zero tax to the chains connecting to it.
That is the way you scale crypto just like the web: customers don’t have to know what chain they’re on, and apps don’t have to bootstrap liquidity from scratch. Agglayer will allow sub-5 second cross-chain finality (coming quickly), native token fungibility (no wrappers), and safety you’ll be able to confirm onchain.
Bitfinex: How can POL holders and stakers accrue worth from Agglayer?
Sandeep Nailwal: I touched on this slightly above, nevertheless it’s price spelling out. Agglayer will probably be powered by POL. That seamless UX expertise we expect is lacking in Web3 can solely actually be achieved by way of Agglayer, because of its underlying expertise. (Zero-knowledge proofs, for anybody who desires to deep dive!) POL staking is the electrical energy that offers Agglayer its internet-like aura: straightforward, secure transfers throughout totally different ecosystems and chains, in a method that’s quick and feels good. POL staking is on the centre right here. POL stakers additionally turn into eligible for airdrops (see hyperlink beneath) by way of the Agglayer Breakout Programme from initiatives within the Polygon ecosystem.
https://polygon.expertise/weblog/pol-value-accrual-post-2-introducing-the-agglayer-breakout-program
The subsequent introduced airdrop is from Katana, a purpose-built DeFi chain for greater yield and deep liquidity incubated by Polygon Labs and GSR.
Extremely suggest going by way of this picture, this can be a good description of POL utility:
Bitfinex: Thanks, actually attention-grabbing and nicely defined. Good alternatives for communities to discover as nicely. And for on a regular basis customers and merchants who could not comply with technical developments carefully, how will Polygon’s newest improvements enhance their expertise, and the way can this assist in the choice to hodl and commerce POL?
Sandeep Nailwal: Polygon’s delivery season has already introduced finality occasions beneath 5 seconds and TPS over 1000. This enables apps constructed on or built-in with Polygon to supply vastly improved UX to their customers, with quick, low-cost, dependable transactions globally. That is how Polygon is constructing the default chain for funds and RWA use instances, and persevering with to create an onchain economic system that brings the advantages of crypto to customers and accrues worth to the POL token.
Bitfinex: Thanks. To finalise this session, how can we discover extra details about Polygon’s newest developments?
Sandeep Nailwal: You possibly can comply with Polygon on X at x.com/0xPolygon, or go to the Polygon web site, https://polygon.expertise/.
Bitfinex: Sandeep, thanks for sharing your insights and giving us a better have a look at Polygon’s progress and imaginative and prescient for the long run. It has been a beneficial dialog that allowed us to know extra concerning the community’s technique, the function of POL, and upcoming improvements like Agglayer.
To our viewers, thanks for becoming a member of us on this AMA. As talked about, you’ll be able to comply with Polygon’s newest updates by way of their official channels:
Web site: <https://polygon.expertise/>
X (Twitter): <https://x.com/0xPolygon>
Viewers Questions:
From LGabriel: Might you share what initially impressed you to create Polygon, and what had been a number of the greatest challenges you confronted throughout the early levels of constructing the undertaking, from idea to launch?
Sandeep Nailwal: Hey LGabriel, thanks for the query. As I discussed earlier than, I come from a humble background in India, the place I needed to begin supporting my family financially at a really younger age. I at all times felt that life didn’t provide equal alternatives to everybody. Just some totally different circumstances, and I might’ve ended up working in a small cell restore store in Delhi. The web, extra particularly crypto, gave me the prospect to be right here right this moment, chatting with all of you and having my voice heard, a minimum of to some extent. So, Preserve chasing your goals LGabriel.
From Emellic9: How are you working to show our goals into actuality?
Sandeep Nailwal: Hey Emellic9, thanks for the query. I feel you’ll be able to consult with the query “What’s new in Polygon?”, as we’ve got three main objectives that may create extra alternatives for each Polygon builders and adopters
From Karthik: Hello Sandeep, Polygon hasn’t pumped the way in which many anticipated. Because you grew to become CEO, what do you suppose the worth expectation for the Polygon coin is thru to December 2026?
Sandeep Nailwal: Hey Karthik, thanks for the query. I feel you’ll be able to consult with the query “What’s new in Polygon?” the place I discussed Polygon’s third objective.
Bitfinex: This concludes our session for right this moment! Thanks!