POL is the native utility and staking token of the Polygon ecosystem, replacing MATIC through a 1:1 migration that went live on September 4, 2024. As the successor to MATIC, POL powers gas fees, validator staking, and ecosystem participation across Polygon's multi-chain architecture. The token represents Polygon's evolution from a single Ethereum scaling solution into a broader infrastructure stack encompassing Polygon PoS, Polygon CDK (Chain Development Kit), AggLayer (cross-chain settlement), and the Open Money Stack (payments infrastructure).