At a recent conference, Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal delivered one of the event’s most anticipated keynotes: “The Future of Money.” Shortly after his talk, Binance News sat down with him for an exclusive conversation covering everything from sovereign individuals and the next evolution of payments, to the transition from MATIC to POL and Polygon’s roadmap toward 100,000 TPS.In this in-depth interview, Nailwal explains why he believes crypto is moving toward a “sovereign individual era,” why payments and stablecoins will define the next trillion-dollar opportunity, and why he thinks POL is one of the most undervalued tokens going into the next market cycle.How did your journey into crypto begin?Sandeep:My journey started when I was running another startup and wanted to move deeper into the tech space. Around 2015, I briefly explored AI — but Bitcoin kept coming back into the news. Looking back now, it must have been the halving cycle.I started reading about it, and as a computer engineer, I realized someone had built an unstoppable payment network. I immediately thought: What if we could build complex smart contracts and business logic on top of this?Within a month or two, I discovered Ethereum — and saw that you could actually write business logic on-chain. That was the turning point. There was no looking back.Your keynote focused on “The Future of Money,” and how traditional systems are breaking down — especially post-2008. What’s your philosophy on this shift?Sandeep:If you look at the last 500 years — from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution — the graph of individual freedom has always gone up. Technologies like the internet, computers, and now crypto continue that trend.What Pavel Durov spoke about at Blockchain Life — freedom, sovereignty — fits into this bigger theme. As technology becomes more powerful, individuals become more independent. The endgame is a world where every person becomes a sovereign individual.Polygon’s Rio upgrade promises faster, lighter performance. By early 2026, what improvements will users actually feel?Sandeep:We already increased TPS from 200 to 2,000. In the next two to three months, we’re going to 5,000 TPS — and from there, we’re targeting 100,000 TPS. Polygon will likely become the fastest chain in the industry.You’ve set a target of 100,000 TPS across the ecosystem. What’s the real milestone for ‘mission accomplished’?Sandeep:User adoption — that’s the only metric that matters. Tech milestones are great for the crypto audience, but our priority is always users.Polygon 2.0 and the AggLayer aim to unify liquidity. Will users even need to know which chain they’re on?Sandeep:The goal is that blockchains become invisible. Just like the internet: whether you connect via roaming, broadband, GSM, or Starlink, you still access the same internet and the same account.The same should happen with blockchain. Whether your money is on chain A, B, or C — it shouldn’t matter. As long as it’s secure, users shouldn’t even notice what chain they’re on.For example, Polymarket — one of the biggest crypto apps — runs on Polygon, and most users don’t even know it. Everything is abstracted.The transition from MATIC to POL is nearly complete. What should Binance users expect — especially regarding staking and governance?Sandeep:Binance users no longer need to worry about whether they’re holding MATIC or POL. There’s no confusion anymore — the single token is POL. Staking yields do not change. Long-term staking remains the same.Polygon has long been called Ethereum’s scaling layer. How do you position the network today?Sandeep:We strongly believe in separating the trust layer from the execution layer. Polygon is an execution layer. Whether settlement comes from Ethereum or another chain doesn’t matter. We focus on execution and scalability.In MENA, Polygon has partnered with groups like Cypher Capital. What use cases can the region expect next — payments, tokenized assets, or digital IDs?Sandeep:Payments — nothing is above payments. That’s our core focus.Other use cases like digital IDs are happening too. For example, a UAE ID program will launch soon using a project from our ecosystem. But payments and stablecoins remain our highest priority.Real-world asset tokenization is emerging as the next major wave. How is Polygon preparing for it?Sandeep:Polygon is already one of the biggest platforms for tokenization — second only to Ethereum.Whether it’s UAE funds, European institutions, American giants like BlackRock — most tokenized products are launching on Polygon. Even Japan’s new stablecoin launched on Polygon. How will Polygon support regulated assets — stablecoins, CBDCs, tokenized securities — within frameworks like VARA or FSRA?Sandeep:Polygon Labs doesn’t directly run regulated services. Third-party builders get licensed and build on Polygon.However, if Polygon Labs develops value-added services — like stablecoin products — then we will seek the appropriate licenses. The core blockchain infrastructure itself does not require licensing.As the AggLayer connects multiple chains, how do you ensure speed doesn’t compromise security or decentralization?Sandeep:Blockchain scaling is only meaningful if it comes with security. There’s no way to scale without security — that’s fundamental.AI-powered transactions and agentic finance are rising. What role does Polygon play in this future?Sandeep:I co-founded Sentient AI, which is now one of the top crypto-AI projects. On Polygon’s infrastructure side, we’re focused on enabling agentic payments — allowing AI agents to make payments seamlessly.We’re also joining the X402 Foundation with Coinbase to support this ecosystem.Polygon is already carbon-neutral. What are your next environmental goals for 2026 and beyond?Sandeep:With proof-of-stake becoming standard, the carbon footprint discussion is largely settled — except for Bitcoin, which is a different discussion entirely. Most major chains today are already environmentally efficient.For Binance users who held since the MATIC days — why stay excited about POL in the next cycle?Sandeep:We know payments and stablecoins are a multi-trillion-dollar market — and Polygon is one of the top three ecosystems there.Our competitors like Solana or Base are valued far higher — in some cases 20–60x more — yet our user traction is similar or stronger. Polygon’s daily active users even exceed Solana’s.There’s huge upside potential. Fundamentally, we’re extremely strong, and the market’s mispricing should eventually correct. Rapid-Fire RoundPolygon in one word for 2026?Payments.Describe Polygon in 2026 to a Dubai taxi driver.It’s your payment network.Biggest misconception about Polygon?That it’s a single chain. Polygon already has multiple chains — PoS, zkEVM, Katana, X Layer, and more.POL token: governance or gas fees — what matters more long-term?Gas fees.Most exciting real-world use case coming to Polygon in 2026?Local stablecoins — from the Philippines to Japan, India, and the UAE.More impactful for adoption: payments or gaming?Payments.Most underrated project on Polygon right now?Courtyard.Which region will drive Polygon’s next growth wave — MENA, Asia, or Latin America?MENA.If Ethereum 3.0 launches tomorrow, how does Polygon stay relevant?Polygon is Ethereum 3.0.
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