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Polygon Founder Recaps 2023: MATIC’s Surge Powers Through Resistance With 4% Uptrend

Polygon is closing out 2023 on a high note as its native token, MATIC, experienced a significant surge over the past 24 hours, despite its founder highlighting a “painful ride”.

MATIC’s current price stands at $0.8939, accompanied by a 24-hour trading volume of $701,503,128.22. This represents a notable 4.20% price increase within the last 24 hours and a remarkable 14.10% increase over the past 7 days.

Polygon Founder Embraces Underdog Status

Despite a challenging journey throughout 2023, Polygon’s founder, Sandeep Nailwal, recently expressed his contentment with the platform’s underdog status. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Nailwal stated:

Polygon is back to where it’s the best at being an underdog. Not going to lie, it’s been a painful ride, the whole of 2023, but right now, it feels incredibly liberating to be the underdog again.

Furthermore, Nailwal went on to outline several reasons why he believes investors should feel bullish about Polygon’s prospects. 

One key feature is Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Compatibility, which allows Polygon to replicate the Ethereum environment as a rollup. This compatibility ensures that any application running on Ethereum or other EVM-compatible chains can be deployed onto zkEVM, Polygon’s layer 2 solution, with minimal modifications.

Another aspect highlighted is the utilization of Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) for transaction validation. By leveraging ZKPs, Polygon enhances transaction speeds and reduces gas fees, addressing critical pain points experienced by users on other blockchain platforms.

Scalability is a paramount concern in the blockchain industry, and Polygon aims to address this challenge by executing smart contracts using zero-knowledge technology. 

This approach ensures “scalability without compromising decentralization” and security, bolstering the platform’s overall appeal to developers and users alike.

Moreover, Polygon’s strategic affiliation with zkEVM positions it to leverage the existing ecosystem of over 400 decentralized applications (dApps) within the Polygon network. 

This ecosystem includes a diverse range of DeFi protocols, gaming platforms, and NFT marketplaces. By capitalizing on this thriving ecosystem, Polygon aims to further solidify its position as a leader in the blockchain space.

Midterm Targets And Strategy For MATIC Price Action

Renowned analyst Captain Faibik has released a comprehensive analysis of the price action for Polygon’s native token, MATIC. In his assessment, Captain Faibik identifies key targets and a strategic approach for investors to capitalize on potential gains.

According to Captain Faibik’s analysis, MATIC’s midterm targets are projected at $1.20, $1.60, $2.50, and $4.00. These targets represent potential price levels that MATIC could reach based on historical patterns. 

Notably, to manage risk and protect their investment, Captain Faibik recommends implementing a stop-loss strategy. If the weekly closing price of MATIC falls below $0.55, it is suggested to exit the position.

Furthermore, Captain Faibik advises investors to adopt a long-term mindset and hold their MATIC investment for a minimum of 60 days. This holding period enables investors to ride out short-term price fluctuations and potentially capitalize on the projected targets identified.

Polygon

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com

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Polygon Labs And NEAR Foundation Partner For zkWasm L2 Prover Integration

Polygon Labs (MATIC) and the NEAR Foundation have recently announced their collaboration on the development of a zero-knowledge (ZK) prover for the WebAssembly (Wasm) blockchain.  

The alliance aims to “bridge the gap” between Wasm-based chains and the Ethereum ecosystem, providing customization and options for developers building with the Polygon CDK (Chain Development Kit).

NEAR Foundation Joins Polygon As Core Contributor

According to Polygon Labs’ announcement, introducing a zkWasm prover will enable developers utilizing Polygon CDK to choose from various provers when building their projects.

This can be leveraged in various scenarios, including launching or migrating an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chain or constructing a Wasm chain for closer alignment with Ethereum and access to liquidity. 

The zkWasm prover will serve as a new runtime, generating zero-knowledge proofs that validate the correctness of native Wasm runtime execution. This advancement is expected to enhance scalability and decentralization, bringing the NEAR protocol closer to Ethereum.

As part of this partnership, the NEAR Foundation is set to become a core contributor to Polygon CDK, expanding the toolkit’s capabilities for developers.

Sandeep Nailwal, the co-founder of Polygon, expressed pride in collaborating with NEAR on this research and emphasized the value of the zkWasm prover in providing developers with increased customization options. 

To provide further context, WebAssembly is a widely used framework for running complex programs in web browsers, offering performance comparable to native computer applications. In the context of Web3, the Wasm Virtual Machine serves as a runtime for blockchains like NEAR and Polkadot, differing from the Ethereum Virtual Machine.

Scalability And Decentralization Boost?

Per the announcement, in the future, an in-development interop layer will allow chains to join a unified ecosystem of Layer 2 solutions deployed through Polygon CDK. 

This ecosystem will encompass alternative layer-1 chains, EVM layer-2 solutions, and Wasm chains, providing interoperability and defragmentation of liquidity across different chains.

Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR Protocol, expressed optimism about the collaboration, emphasizing that it will bring the benefits of zero-knowledge proofs not only to NEAR but to the entire Web3 ecosystem. Polosukhin stated:

We are very excited to work with Polygon Labs to bring all the benefits of zero-knowledge proofs not just to NEAR but all of Web3. NEAR is integrating more with Ethereum by innovating in new research frontiers, and the shared expertise of these two teams will bring a much-needed expansion of the ZK landscape and defragmentation of liquidity across chains. And by creating and using the zkWasm prover, NEAR will also improve the scalability and decentralization of the NEAR L1.

Overall, the collaboration between Polygon Labs and the NEAR Foundation holds significant implications for both protocols. Integrating the zkWasm prover will enhance the capabilities of Polygon CDK, providing developers with more options in building “custom blockchains.” 

Additionally, it will bring NEAR Protocol closer to Ethereum, expanding its interoperability and liquidity opportunities. 

Polygon

As of the latest update, MATIC, the native token of Polygon, is on the verge of reaching the $0.800 level, a milestone that has not been attained since July. The token currently trades at $0.7903, showcasing a noteworthy upward trajectory. 

This positive movement is further bolstered by an impressive 11% uptrend recorded over the past 24 hours. 

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com 

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Polygon’s NFT Sales Skyrocket By 131% To $20 Million In Q3 2023

Polygon (MATIC), a  Layer 2 (L2) blockchain network, experienced remarkable growth in the third quarter of 2023. According to a report by Messari, the platform witnessed a significant increase in non-fungible token (NFT) sales, successful network upgrades, and the activation of a new token. 

Polygon NFT Sales Skyrocket

Per the report, in Q3 2023, Polygon witnessed a staggering 131% quarter-on-quarter increase in weekly NFT sales volume, reaching an impressive $20 million. This growth was primarily attributed to the success of DraftKings’ Reignmaker NFT collection, which became the top collection on the network. 

Polygon

The collection featured officially licensed cards from renowned sports organizations like the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA TOUR), and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Furthermore, through Q3, Polygon achieved significant milestones in terms of technological advancements. 

Moreover, Polygon activated the POL token on its mainnet during Q3 2023. POL serves as an upgrade to the existing MATIC token and offers holders the opportunity to contribute to network security across various chains within the Polygon ecosystem through a native re-staking protocol. 

The token features an inflationary model with an annual issuance rate that is subject to community governance, which, according to the report, enhances the overall security and decentralization of the platform.

Daily Active Addresses Surge Fueled By DeFi Dominance

During Q3, Polygon experienced a 1.4% quarter-on-quarter growth in daily active addresses, reaching an impressive 364,000. The decentralized finance (DeFi) sector accounted for the majority of the active addresses on the network, showcasing the platform’s strength and popularity within the decentralized finance space.

Polygon

What’s more, Polygon Labs unveiled Polygon 2.0, a comprehensive upgrade roadmap aiming to unify all Polygon protocols and blockchains using ZK technology. This initiative seeks to establish Polygon as the “Value Layer of the Internet” and introduces significant updates to protocol architecture, tokenomics, and governance. 

One of the key upgrades includes transitioning the network to a zkEVM Validium network, ensuring enhanced security while sharing the same level of robustness as Ethereum (ETH).

Furthermore, according to Token Terminal data, Polygon has shown positive momentum in price performance, network fees, and circulating market cap.

Polygon

The network’s native token, MATIC, has experienced an increase of 3.95% over the past 24 hours, trading at $0.6556, reflecting positive sentiment among investors. 

Over the past 30 days, the coin has experienced a notable increase of 13.01%, signaling a potential recovery from previous market downturns.

However, the six-month data shows a decrease of 34.97%, indicating the impact of market volatility on the long-term value of the token.

Polygon’s circulating market cap currently stands at $6.00 billion, exhibiting a 15.36% increase. However, the fully diluted market cap of $6.49 billion, which considers the total supply of tokens, has grown by 12.79%. 

The network’s fees over the past 30 days amounted to $1.21 million, representing a slight decline of 8.57%. However, on an annualized basis, the fees reached $14.68 million, indicating a downward trend of 20.24%. 

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com 

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Polygon Foundation Refutes Claims Of Dumping MATIC On Binance – Here’s What Happened

Blockchain analytics site Lookonchain flagged recent transactions of two on-chain addresses allegedly owned by the Polygon Foundation. The platform reported that one of these wallet addresses had transferred large amounts of MATIC – the Polygon network’s native token – to Binance in the past two days.

According to Lookonchain, the two addresses, tagged as  “Polygon Foundation: 0x8d36” and “Polygon Foundation: 0xf957,” have collectively transferred nearly $6 million worth of MATIC to Binance over the past month, with more than half of the amount deposited onto the exchange in the last two days.

Polygon Labs Founder Denies Dumping MATIC Tokens

In an X post, Polygon Labs founder Sandeep Nailwal swiftly refuted the suggestions that the Polygon Foundation may be dumping MATIC tokens on Binance. The founder asserted it was “another” case of incorrectly labeling wallet addresses.

Nailwal emphasized the need to exercise caution before publishing claims of this nature, as they can create FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) in the crypto community.

For context, FUD refers to the spread of negative – and sometimes false – information about a cryptocurrency or the general market to create fear and doubt among investors and potentially influence prices. 

It is worth mentioning that the founder’s claims align with the words of Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron, who was the first to raise this issue of wallet mislabeling. Boiron had also insisted that the Polygon Foundation controls none of the addresses. 

In response to Boiron, Lookonchain stated that the crypto intelligence platform Nansen conducted the address labeling.

Wallet Addresses Are Strongly Linked To Polygon Foundation, Nansen Reiterates

Nansen responded to the situation, explaining why the two wallets were linked to the Polygon Foundation. Meanwhile, the analytics firm put in a robust defense for its address labeling system, claiming that every label undergoes a “rigorous documentation process.”

Going further in its explanation, Nansen cited some instances where prominent figures at Polygon Labs interacted with the “Polygon Foundation: 0x8d36” address. In one example, Polygon’s head of growth, Sanket Shah, reportedly sent ETH to the address for “gas purposes.”

For the second address, “Polygon Foundation: 0xf957”, Nansen said its counterparties consist of the first address and other entities closely associated with Polygon, including the head of investments, Shreyansh Singh.

Nansen concluded that:

The evidence for both of these addresses shows a very strong link to various individuals and entities of the Polygon Foundation, and that’s why we labeled these addresses as part of the Polygon Foundation.

Despite this, Nansen claims to have removed the labels “as a gesture of goodwill” since the Polygon Labs CEO openly denied links to the two addresses. 

Polygon Foundation