Polygon Completes Major Network Upgrade with 5-Second Finality

Polygon has successfully implemented its Heimdall v2 upgrade on mainnet, marking a significant technical milestone. Key improvements include: - Reduced finality time from ~1 minute to ~5 seconds - Enhanced network stability - Modernized core infrastructure This follows the recent Bhilai Hardfork which increased throughput to 1000 TPS and reduced gas fee volatility. The next planned upgrade aims to achieve single block instant finality with ~5000 TPS. [Learn more about the upgrade](https://polygon.technology/blog/polygon-5-second-fast-finality-upgrade)

NRWBANK, Germany's largest regional development bank, has launched its first digital bond on Polygon blockchain. The €100 million bond is supported by major financial institutions including Deutsche Bank, DZ Bank, and DekaBank. Key features of the tokenized security: - Registered as crypto security under German eWpG - Implemented through Cashlink's platform - Aims to increase liquidity and reduce costs - Enables fractional ownership - Improves transparency and security This marks a significant development for institutional adoption of blockchain technology in European capital markets. [Read full details on Coindesk](https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/07/10/german-state-bank-nrw-bank-issues-eur100m-blockchain-bond-on-polygon)

Polygon Labs announces strategic collaboration with Agora and the AUSD network to expand the Agglayer ecosystem. This follows their earlier partnership with Movement Labs in August 2024, which focused on blockchain interoperability and unified liquidity solutions. Key developments: - Integration with AUSD network - Expansion of Agglayer ecosystem - Enhanced blockchain interoperability This partnership continues Polygon's commitment to scaling solutions and cross-chain functionality.

Polygon's Community Grants Program Season 2 has allocated 1B POL to innovative projects. The second batch focuses on DeFi applications: - **Fringe Finance**: Margin trading platform supporting 100+ smaller-cap assets - **Levenue**: Revenue-based financing for subscription businesses - **Pheasant Network**: Intent-centric bridge and crosschain swap solution - **Quidmint**: UniV4 router for ETH/stablecoin pools with leverage features - **Rexbit**: DEX with enhanced UX and performance - **Symbiosis**: Crosschain bridging and AMM platform - **Yoki Finance**: Automated recurring crypto payments *Previous batches included AI, RWA, and supply chain solutions.*

BlackRock has achieved a significant milestone in the tokenization of traditional assets with its $2.8B BUIDL Fund, now the largest Real World Asset (RWA) initiative in the space. Key developments: - Fund tokenized through Securitize - Deployed on Polygon network - Expanded to multiple blockchains - Represents institutional adoption of DeFi This move demonstrates the accelerating transition of traditional capital markets to blockchain infrastructure, marking a concrete step in bridging TradFi with DeFi. Learn more: [BlackRock's Multi-Chain Expansion](https://www.coindesk.com/business/2024/11/13/blackrock-expands-tokenized-fund-buidl-beyond-ethereum-to-five-new-blockchains)