Polygon Targets 100K TPS by 2026, Rolls Out POL Token on Solana

Polygon has released a three-year scalability roadmap that aims to push its proof-of-stake chain from today’s sub-100 TPS to a payments-grade 100,000 TPS by 2026. The first step is a July 2024 mainnet upgrade expected to exceed 1,000 TPS, followed by an October release targeting 5,000 TPS with zero re-orgs. By late 2025, the network plans to plug into Agglayer, a shared liquidity and data layer designed for instant, low-cost transfers of money and real-world assets. To deepen cross-chain reach, Polygon’s new POL token is now live on the Solana ecosystem via Wormhole’s Native Token Transfers (NTT). The integration preserves the original POL contract and supply, enabling direct use of the asset across Solana-based DeFi without wrapped tokens. The Polygon Foundation—now headed by co-founder Sandeep Nailwal as CEO—will pursue further decentralization by onboarding more validators and forging institutional partnerships with firms such as Stripe and BlackRock. POL gained roughly 6 % over the past week before retracing with the broader market. Traders should watch the July upgrade, POL liquidity on Solana DEXs, and Agglayer’s rollout for potential volume spikes and price convergence between chains. Successful execution could tighten spreads, boost on-chain activity, and support a bullish rerating of Polygon’s native asset.
Bullish
Polygon’s ambitious roadmap addresses the two metrics traders care about most: throughput and liquidity. A clear timeline for scaling from 1,000 TPS in July to 100,000 TPS by 2026 signals long-term utility expansion similar to historical catalysts that lifted Layer-2 valuations. The immediate deployment of POL on Solana via Wormhole NTT increases token accessibility and market depth, often a precursor to tighter spreads and higher trading volumes. While short-term price action has been mixed amid broader market weakness, past cross-chain launches and major network upgrades have typically generated sustained inflows once milestones are met. The added tailwind of institutional partnerships and a leadership refresh further supports sentiment. Taken together, the news skews the risk-reward profile to the upside for both near-term speculation around July’s upgrade and longer-term adoption, justifying a bullish outlook.