13 Aug AMA with Polygon (Sandeep Naiwal) – Hosted by Bitfinex & BitfreedomGus
Since its founding, Polygon has grown into one of the vital extensively 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 better 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. Get pleasure from!
Bitfinex: Howdy everybody and welcome to a different unique Bitfinex AMA! I’m BitfreedomGus, and right now 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 the whole lot in crypto. As we method nearly 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, reminiscent of 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 alternate I ever used after Poloniex. Once I first signed up on Bitfinex, it was an enormous step up when it comes to UX in comparison with Poloniex.
Bitfinex: Superior! Appears like we’ve acquired a few OGs right here!
Sandeep Nailwal: So a protracted 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 obsessed with 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 little bit bit right here and there and I might’ve been working in an outdated cellular restore store in Delhi, India. The Web offered me the chance to understand my potential and be right here in entrance of all of you and be at the least 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 aim was to supply the huge scalability to crypto for it to go to billions of customers.
The aim 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 preserving the person expertise as seamless as potential.
The customers ought to have the ability to use their cash and do with it no matter they need, wherever they need, each time they need.
So Polygon is making an attempt to construct an Web of interconnected blockchains who host end-user apps on hundreds of blockchains however for finish customers, it seems like one single blockchain, identical to on the Web you as a person are linked to at least one 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 top person perspective.
Sorry for the lengthy reply however this subject is so near my coronary heart.
Bitfinex: Don’t fear, we admire 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 turned tough to maneuver rapidly and clarify choices. I stepped in as CEO of the Polygon Basis to carry sharper focus and assist us execute extra successfully throughout the board.
Marc Boiron, who I consider is without doubt one of the most succesful CEOs within the business, had already spent the previous couple of years rebuilding the Polygon Labs staff right into a high-performing organisation. Due to that basis, we had been ready to begin delivering nearly instantly.
In simply the previous few months, we’ve constructed a transparent roadmap for our key merchandise. Polygon PoS is without doubt one of the most generally used public blockchains and helps builders construct low-cost, quick functions which are simple to make use of. We’ve got a transparent roadmap to make it even quicker, as a way to assist world 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 completely different chains right into a single, seamless community, with an emphasis on person expertise that can really feel just like the web everyone knows. Each are important 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 developed?
Sandeep Nailwal: So Polygon began as a single chain, Polygon PoS, which right now is without doubt one of the largest chains when it comes to each day lively customers for stablecoins and plenty of different use circumstances.
However over time we realised that no single blockchain can cater to the Web3 apps of your entire world. It’s like saying that each one the apps on the web might be constructed on one single information server or one single information centre.
It’s not true; enterprises need to construct on completely different sorts of architectures. DeFi wants a distinct form of structure, video games want a distinct structure and so forth. It’s fallacious to suppose that any single blockchain will get all of the apps of Web3.
Therefore Polygon is right now targeted and architected as a multichain ecosystem. We’ve got one chain, Polygon PoS, which may be very common, however our key product is Agglayer, which is a trustless, chain sovereignty and independence-focused chain cluster.
So right now, Polygon is Polygon PoS plus Agglayer, That already has some common chains like Wilder World, Katana, Lumia and plenty of extra.
Bitfinex: Superb. And with that developed imaginative and prescient, what’s the newest with Polygon?
Sandeep Nailwal: Proper now, we’re targeted on three huge objectives.
➜ First, we’re growing Polygon PoS into the quickest funds chain on the market. The gigagas roadmap we launched can carry 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 nearly no price.
To make that occur, we’re upgrading the know-how behind Polygon and dealing carefully with groups like Flipkart, Seize, and Reliance Jio, who’re constructing actual fee use circumstances with us.
➜ Second, we’re working to get the primary model of Agglayer out by the top of the 12 months. Though it’s dwell proper now, not all of the premium options can be found that can make customers’ lives simpler.
Agglayer is a big step ahead in crypto. As we speak, blockchains are disconnected, utterly separate from each other. There’s no single place the place crypto occurs, however a patchwork of non permanent fixes that bridge blockchains collectively.
The Agglayer is designed to attach all of them within the background, much like how the web connects individuals world wide. It makes utilizing crypto less complicated, quicker, and extra seamless for everybody.
➜ Third, we need to make certain Polygon stakers see actual worth. Proper now, POL is without doubt one of 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 in the event 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 current gigagas roadmap replace and what the long run seems to be like for the community?
Sandeep Nailwal: The purpose of the gigagas roadmap is to achieve 100k TPS, scaling throughput for a greater person expertise that may assist the monetary world onchain. Which means instantaneous transactions, dying to reorgs, and new ranges of pace, all with Polygon’s battle-tested reliability. Polygon is aiming to turn out to be the premier funds and RWAs chain, and that is the milestone we have to attain web scale.
Bitfinex: Talking of roadmap, know-how and updates, what was the current Heimdall improve, and why does it matter for Polygon?
Sandeep Nailwal: This was step one within the gigagas roadmap, and one of the vital complicated 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 property to settle like shares.
Bitfinex: As you mentioned, Sandeep Nailwal, increasing completely different options to completely different functions. Superb. 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 developed over the previous couple of years. The community wanted a token that might have the ability to assist future upgrades and accrue worth to holders and stakers in a manner that works throughout each Polygon and Agglayer. In contrast to 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 contains mechanisms for group airdrop eligibility through 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 fast utility in a extensively used chain that provides 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 guide 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 position in Agglayer. For a straightforward demo on the right way 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 mission and the group of holders and merchants over time?
Sandeep Nailwal: I imply, see Bitfinex is the OG amongst the OGs. The group total has finished 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 best respect for Bitfinex and Tether management, particularly I’m a giant fan of Paolo and his distinctive capacity to foretell long-term traits and work in direction of them in a really calm and composed manner.
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 fee options carried out in Lugano and plenty of different cities. You possibly can pay for the whole lot from meals, to groceries, to even wedding ceremony ceremonies in Lugano in USDT on Polygon.
Bitfinex: Thanks. You’re additionally main and taking part within the Web3 growth. 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 dwell, Agglayer will have the ability to safely assist any chain, no matter underlying safety mannequin. So earlier, after I was speaking about how fragmented and fractured crypto is? Nicely, Agglayer fixes that.
And it’ll be run on POL.
Within the newest improve, Agglayer CDK started to assist extra stacks than only one. It’s now potential for OP Stack-built chains to natively launch and connect with Agglayer. That’s the stack utilized by Base, Ink, and so forth.
It’s extensively adopted know-how, 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 may confirm onchain.
Bitfinex: How can POL holders and stakers accrue worth from Agglayer?
Sandeep Nailwal: I touched on this a little bit above, nevertheless it’s value spelling out. Agglayer will likely be powered by POL. That seamless UX expertise we expect is lacking in Web3 can solely actually be achieved via Agglayer, resulting from its underlying know-how. (Zero-knowledge proofs, for anybody who desires to deep dive!) POL staking is the electrical energy that provides Agglayer its internet-like aura: simple, protected transfers throughout completely different ecosystems and chains, in a manner that’s quick and feels good. POL staking is on the centre right here. POL stakers additionally turn out to be eligible for airdrops (see hyperlink under) via the Agglayer Breakout Programme from initiatives within the Polygon ecosystem.
https://polygon.know-how/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 advocate going via this picture, it is a good description of POL utility:
Bitfinex: Thanks, actually fascinating and effectively defined. Good alternatives for communities to discover as effectively. And for on a regular basis customers and merchants who could not observe 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 below 5 seconds and TPS over 1000. This permits 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 circumstances, 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 observe Polygon on X at x.com/0xPolygon, or go to the Polygon web site, https://polygon.know-how/.
Bitfinex: Sandeep, thanks for sharing your insights and giving us a more in-depth have a look at Polygon’s progress and imaginative and prescient for the long run. It has been a helpful dialog that allowed us to know extra concerning the community’s technique, the position of POL, and upcoming improvements like Agglayer.
To our viewers, thanks for becoming a member of us on this AMA. As talked about, you may observe Polygon’s newest updates via their official channels:
Web site: <https://polygon.know-how/>
X (Twitter): <https://x.com/0xPolygon>
Viewers Questions:
From LGabriel: May you share what initially impressed you to create Polygon, and what had been a number of the greatest challenges you confronted in the course of the early phases of constructing the mission, 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 completely different circumstances, and I might’ve ended up working in a small cellular restore store in Delhi. The web, extra particularly crypto, gave me the prospect to be right here right now, talking to all of you and having my voice heard, at the least to some extent. So, Maintain chasing your desires LGabriel.
From Emellic9: How are you working to show our desires into actuality?
Sandeep Nailwal: Hey Emellic9, thanks for the query. I feel you may discuss with the query “What’s new in Polygon?”, as we’ve got three main objectives that can create extra alternatives for each Polygon builders and adopters
From Karthik: Hello Sandeep, Polygon hasn’t pumped the best way many anticipated. Because you turned 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 may discuss with the query “What’s new in Polygon?” the place I discussed Polygon’s third aim.
Bitfinex: This concludes our session for right now! Thanks!
