Polymarket is rolling out its biggest infrastructure overhaul since it launched in 2020.
The prediction market giant announced that it will roll out a full overhaul of the exchange stack, upgraded smart contracts, and its own native stablecoin over the next two to three weeks. Polymarket announced on X, stating they are upgrading the entire Polymarket exchange stack.
New native stablecoin
Polymarket is introducing Polymarket USD, a native collateral token backed 1:1 by Circle’s USDC. For years, the platform relied on USDC.e, a bridged version of the stablecoin on the Polygon network. Bridged assets have long been a point of friction and potential risk, so moving to a native version gives Polymarket more control over settlements and liquidity.
The token opens doors to fresh revenue streams, such as earning yield on deposits. Most users will experience a smooth transition, facilitated by a straightforward prompt on the front end. For advanced users and those operating bots, though, a manual approach is necessary. They’ll need to wrap their assets themselves, invoking a particular contract function to achieve full compatibility with the updated system.
New trading engine
The upgrade also introduces CTF Exchange V2 and a redesigned Central Limit Order Book (CLOB v2). These technical changes are built for speed and efficiency. The new system promises faster order matching, lower gas costs, and support for EIP-1271, which finally allows smart contract wallets like Safe to trade natively on the platform
What traders need to know
Traders should be prepared: during this transition, a short maintenance window will occur where all existing open orders will be cancelled and order books cleared. Polymarket has promised at least one week’s notice before this cutover happens, giving high-frequency traders time to adjust their bots to the new SDKs.The long-awaited POLY governance token
Along with the infrastructure news, Polymarket has finally confirmed plans for its native governance token, POLY. While a launch date hasn’t been set, the token has been the subject of rumors for a long time. Interestingly, the platform’s own prediction markets currently show only an 11% chance that POLY will officially launch before May. Strategic growth and a $20 billion valuation
Polymarket is now processing a huge $900 million in weekly volume and holds a valuation close to $20 billion. With a massive $600 million investment from the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the NYSE, the stakes have never been higher. As competition heats up from rivals like Kalshi and Coinbase, Polymarket is also working on a regulated comeback in the U.S. after being shut down there in 2022.
By upgrading its tech stack to meet institutional standards and registering with the CFTC, the platform is positioning itself to be more than just a crypto niche; it wants to be the global home for high-stakes prediction.
