Launch of Astar zkEVM with AggLayer Integration by Astar Network and Polygon

**Polygon has captured over 50% of all non-USD stablecoin supply**, processing more than $3.2 billion in lifetime foreign exchange transfer volume. This milestone signals that **onchain payments are achieving real product-market fit** in developing economies at global scale. **Key regional impact:** - LATAM has processed $1B+ in CEX flows through Polygon this year - Regional stablecoins like BRLA and BRZ settle on the network - Apps integrate with real-time payment systems (Pix, SPEI, PSE) **Why Polygon leads in emerging markets:** - Low transaction fees - Deep liquidity pools - Extensive ecosystem integrations - Strong developer support While Ethereum handles high-value settlements and Tron manages low-cost USDT transfers, **Polygon has become the go-to chain for payments, apps, and consumer finance** in developing regions. The data suggests stablecoins are transitioning from speculative assets to **everyday money infrastructure**, particularly in regions facing inflation and financial exclusion.

Polygon's **MATIC to POL upgrade** is nearly complete at **99.18%** implementation. The technical upgrade represents more than a simple ticker change - it's the result of **years of community discussions** and sets the foundation for Polygon's future as an aggregated network. **Key POL utilities include:** - Native gas and staking token for Polygon PoS - Fueling grants ecosystem and Community Treasury - Validator rewards and governance - Network security for sequencing and ZK proof generation **Important reminders:** - No deadline exists for MATIC to POL migration - Users should only use official Polygon channels - Never share seed phrases with anyone Migration resources available at [Polygon Portal](https://www.notion.so/polygontechnology/MATIC-POL-Migration-3367ffa954d743b88200cb25cd9f504c)

Polygon PoS has captured **47% of USDT supply on Ethereum** following its upgrade to native USDT0 standard. The upgrade brings several key improvements: - **Enhanced liquidity** with frictionless transfers - **Native interoperability** across 40+ chains via Stargate - **Lower fees** and better composability - Support for **6M+ wallets** Polygon also introduced **XAUt0** (native Tether Gold) for multichain compatibility. The USDT0 standard, powered by LayerZero, enables seamless cross-chain movement while maintaining the reliability of Tether's $1.3B+ supply on Polygon. This positions Polygon as the **leading chain** for USDT liquidity, offering faster and more efficient payments compared to traditional bridged tokens.

The **U.S. Department of Commerce** has officially published the hash for its Q2 2025 quarterly GDP data release on **Polygon's Proof-of-Stake network**. This marks a significant step in government adoption of blockchain technology for **data integrity and transparency**. The hash is now verifiable on-chain through [Polygonscan](https://polygonscan.com/address/0x36ccdF11044f60F196e981970d592a7DE567ed7b#code). **Key implications:** - Government agencies increasingly using blockchain for data verification - Polygon PoS chosen as the infrastructure for official economic data - Enhanced transparency in critical economic reporting This development follows Polygon's strong institutional momentum, including partnerships with major financial institutions and growing DeFi ecosystem adoption.

**Philippine Senator Bam Aquino** has called for the country's national budget to be stored on the Polygon blockchain network. The proposal aims to increase **transparency and accountability** in government spending. This follows the Philippine Department of Budget and Management's recent move to tokenize their dedicated budget last month. - Enhanced visibility into government financial operations - Blockchain-based budgeting could reduce corruption risks - Builds on existing government blockchain initiatives The senator's statement represents a significant step toward **government adoption of blockchain technology** for public financial management in the Philippines.