Polygon Executes Major Heimdall 2.0 Upgrade, Boosting POL Token
On July 9, 2025, Polygon, a leading blockchain platform, successfully executed a significant hard fork, deploying the Heimdall 2.0 upgrade. This upgrade marks the most technically complex update since Polygon’s inception in 2020, enhancing its proof-of-stake blockchain with a new consensus layer. The native POL token experienced a surge of nearly 10%, reaching month-highs around $0.20.
The Heimdall 2.0 upgrade replaces the legacy Tendermint infrastructure, originally implemented between 2018 and 2019, with the modern CometBFT architecture. This transition is expected to dramatically improve network performance metrics, including slashing finality times to just 4 seconds. The upgrade aims to enhance the efficiency and reliability of the Polygon network, making it more attractive for decentralized applications (dApps) and validators.
Technical Details and Implications
The Heimdall v2 hard fork, scheduled to go live on July 10, involves migrating from Tendermint/Cosmos-SDK v0.37 to CometBFT/Cosmos-SDK v0.50. This migration is designed to reduce finality to 5 seconds and cap reorganizations at two blocks, while also eliminating legacy code. Validators and dApps are advised to prepare for a 3-hour finality pause during the upgrade. Additionally, confirmation thresholds will be increased to 256 blocks, and resources such as 20 GB of RAM will be required.
Sandeep Nailwal, Polygon’s co-founder, described the Heimdall v2 upgrade as the most technically advanced hard fork the chain has undertaken since its launch. The upgrade is expected to significantly enhance the network’s performance and scalability, positioning Polygon as a more competitive player in the blockchain space.
Market Reaction
The anticipation surrounding the Heimdall v2 upgrade has already had a positive impact on the POL token. As of July 9, 2025, the POL token closed at $0.192695, having surged nearly 10% in the days leading up to the upgrade. This price movement reflects investor confidence in the potential benefits of the Heimdall 2.0 upgrade.
Polygon’s Market Position
As of July 9, 2025, Polygon’s market capitalization stands at approximately $2.05 billion. The POL token has experienced significant volatility over the past year, with a 52-week high of $0.763379 on December 2, 2024, and a 52-week low of $0.153313 on April 6, 2025. The recent upgrade and subsequent price surge suggest a positive outlook for the token and the broader Polygon ecosystem.
Other News
In unrelated news, cryptocurrency bettors are speculating on the potential involvement of entrepreneur Andrew Yang and tech mogul Mark Cuban in Elon Musk’s new political party, as reported by Cryptopanic.com. This development has sparked interest among users of Polymarket, a platform for decentralized prediction markets.
Overall, the successful deployment of the Heimdall 2.0 upgrade is a significant milestone for Polygon, promising enhanced network performance and increased adoption of the POL token.