Polygon Labs has launched the Ethereum contract for the new Polygon token, POL, according to an October 25 announcement. The new token is intended to replace the ecosystem’s current token, MATIC. However, the team said users presently don't need to exchange their MATIC for POL.

The POL token upgrade is now live on Ethereum mainnet.

Polygon 2.0, released this summer, is a roadmap for scaling Ethereum to build the Value Layer of the Internet. POL unlocks that future.

POL is a next-generation token that can power a vast ecosystem of ZK-based L2 chains.… pic.twitter.com/gmrsu0ZqLz

— Polygon (Labs) (@0xPolygonLabs) October 25, 2023

According to blockchain data, the new token was created on October 25 at 09:06 a.m. UTC. Its full name is the “ Polygon Ecosystem Token.” In the announcement, the Polygon team claimed that POL would “power a vast ecosystem of zero knowledge-based Layer 2 chains” by implementing a 're-staking protocol' that allows token holders to stake it on multiple chains, performing multiple functions in the process.

The token’s launch will now pave the way for other aspects of the Polygon 2.0 roadmap to be implemented, including the launch of a new staking layer for the Polygon ecosystem, upgrading the current Proof of Stake (PoS) network to zkEVM layer-2, and creating a shared liquidity protocol for all Polygon networks, the post stated.

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The team emphasized that POL is not currently being used for any systems in the Polygon network. Staking on both Polygon PoS and Polygon zkEVM is still being performed via the old token, MATIC, and gas fees on the PoS network are still being paid for with MATIC. So, users, validators, and app developers do not need to exchange their MATIC for POL at present.

Polygon Labs first announced it was  developing a new layer-2 ecosystem on June 29. It called the new ecosystem “Polygon 2.0.” On September 14, the team announced that Polygon 2.0 would use a new token, POL . But at the time, the token was just a proposal and had not been deployed to Ethereum.

Polygon’s proposed layer-2 ecosystem will use zero-knowledge proofs to validate transactions between networks. It will face competition from the Optimism ecosystem proposed by Optimism Labs, which will use optimistic rollup technology to secure messages between networks.