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The percentages and metrics are based on a 7-day timeframe, unless noted otherwise.

🟪 What happened: Polygon closed 2025 with record levels of stablecoin and payment activity. The network processed 220.6 million stablecoin transactions in December, moving $28.1 billion across USDC, USDT and DAI. Monthly unique addresses on the network also reached an all-time high of 21.7 million, led by DAI with 8.9 million and USDC at 8.2 million.

Payment app volume hit $1.55 billion in the month, taking the year’s total to $8.47 billion across 7.5 million transfers, up 300% from $478 million in January.

🟪 Why does it matter: These numbers position Polygon as one of the leading payments chains. Amid surging stablecoin adoption, the platform is scaling from a general-purpose layer 2 to critical infrastructure for real-world payments. The vast majority of transfers in December were below the $1,000 mark in December, too, indicating that the network can process stablecoin flows at scale, and that its payment rails are being used for more regular, everyday use cases.

Payment apps led the charge in 2025. Avenia processed the most, recording $2.18 billion, followed by Nexo ($2.10 billion), Paxos ($1.15 billion), and Revolut ($954 million). Emerging platforms like BlindPay ($456 million) and Rain Card ($432 million) also gained traction, showing that stablecoins are being used for diverse purposes ranging from remittances and card programs to institutional settlements.

USDC dominated payment flows, accounting for 56.9% of total payment volumes ($4.8 billion), while USDT took up 42.5% ($3.6 billion). 

Beyond dollar-denominated stablecoins, FX stablecoins processed $4.60 billion across 3.7 million transfers in 2025, supporting over 25 different currency pegs. The activity revealed distinct geographic payment corridors across LATAM, APAC and Europe. Brazilian Real stablecoins combined saw over $2.2 billion in payments, led by the BRLA Token, which was used in 1.4 million transfers totaling $712.9 million. In APAC, Singapore’s XSGD processed $969.04 million over 504,477 transfers, while Forte AUD (AUDF) saw the most value transferred across FX stablecoins, recording $1.13 billion over just 14,940 transfers.

As for the network, it processed $780.13 billion across 1.04 billion transactions of USDC, USDT, and DAI in 2025, peaking at $131 billion in May. USDC led at $646 billion over 508.2 million transfers; USDT followed with $104.79 billion across 181.2 million transfers; and DAI processed $29.35 billion over 354.3 million transfers. 

Transfer segmentation reveals the network's retail foundation: Micro-transfers under $100 each accounted for 902.3 million transactions, representing 86% of all activity, while large transfers above $100,000 clocked only 954,277 transactions. The network saw 207,432 whale transfers over $1 million, and 305 mega-transfers exceeding $10 million. This balance between high-frequency small payments and large institutional transfers shows how Polygon serves both retail users and enterprises.

🟪 The big picture: Polygon's 2025 performance highlights the network’s focus on payments and stablecoin infrastructure. The network processed more than a billion transactions while maintaining fees below $0.01, making micro-transactions economically viable at scale.

The infrastructure upgrades that made this possible arrived throughout the year. Polygon pushed transaction capacity to 1,000 TPS with the Bhilai hardfork, then slashed finality times to approximately 5 seconds with Heimdall v2. The Rio upgrade then pushed capacity to 5,000 TPS while eliminating chain reorganizations, making the network more predictable under heavy payment loads.

The network's roadmap targets 100,000 TPS over time, positioning Polygon to handle significantly larger payment volumes as adoption grows.

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This information is for entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered financial advice, nor should it be used to make investment decisions. Cryptocurrencies are high risk and you should consult a financial professional before making any financial decisions. Make sure you do your own research.