Sandeep Nailwall, co-founder of the layer-2 blockchain network Polygon, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Polygon Foundation. The leadership shift represents a major organizational change designed to bring the Foundation's structure in line with its technical priorities and long-term strategic direction. Nailwall, who holds the largest position in POL tokens, stated that his stake in the network's success drives his decision to assume direct oversight of the Foundation. Marc Boiron will remain CEO of Polygon Labs, which continues to operate as a separate entity within the Foundation's structure.
Sandeep Nailwall Named CEO of Polygon Foundation
Sandeep Nailwall Named CEO of Polygon Foundation
The Polygon Foundation is refocusing its development efforts on Polygon POS and Agglayer under Nailwall's direction. The Foundation will phase out Polygon zkEVM starting next year, redirecting the engineering resources and budget previously committed to zkEVM toward POS and Agglayer instead. Nailwall explained that Polygon POS will prioritize stablecoin payment infrastructure and the integration of real-world assets, while Agglayer is being built to enable a trustless network of interconnected blockchains.
Improvements to Polygon POS are already in motion. The first phase of the network's Gigagas roadmap is now live on testnet, with initial upgrades pushing throughput past 1,000 transactions per second. Nailwall said the team expects to reach performance levels exceeding 5,000 transactions per second between September and October. The upgrades are intended to make Polygon POS one of the fastest blockchain networks in operation.
Sandeep Nailwall Named CEO of Polygon Foundation
Financial stability and long-term vision
The strategic pivot comes as the POL token has dropped more than 68 percent over the past six months. Despite the price decline, Nailwall confirmed that the Foundation's financial position remains solid and that no new fundraising is planned in the immediate future. Polygon's last major capital raise took place in February 2022, when it raised $450 million through a token sale. The Foundation considers its current reserves adequate to fund the next stage of development.
Nailwall said the POS upgrades are designed to improve both network performance and the economic sustainability of the Polygon protocol over time. He noted that the changes should strengthen the value proposition for POL token holders and stakers. The Foundation views the shift toward POS and Agglayer as a more efficient route to scaling the Polygon ecosystem while preserving security and decentralization.
Sandeep Nailwall Named CEO of Polygon Foundation
Regulatory developments and market impact
The Foundation's strategic shift also follows the conclusion of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations into the regulatory status of MATIC, which has since been rebranded to POL. Nailwall noted that the resolution of these regulatory questions could bring major market makers back into the POL token market, which may improve liquidity on exchanges. He suggested this could help stabilize the token's market performance going forward.
Sandeep Nailwall Named CEO of Polygon Foundation
Looking ahead
With Nailwall leading the Foundation, Polygon is narrowing its focus to core infrastructure development within the web3 space. By concentrating resources on Polygon POS and Agglayer, the Foundation aims to improve performance, expand use cases, and drive broader adoption of its technology. The organization is positioning itself to address the increasing demand for scalable and interoperable blockchain solutions, with a strategy centered on long-term protocol sustainability and ecosystem expansion.
