Polygon crypto price remained under pressure Tuesday as traders reacted cautiously to the Giugliano hardfork on Polygon mainnet. POL, previously known as MATIC, traded near $0.09015, down about 3 percent over 24 hours. Weekly losses also showed that sentiment stayed cautious despite the approaching upgrade.
Polygon’s market cap was approximately $957.3 million with a 24-hour trading volume of $50.9 million. Recent data suggests sellers are still controlling the short-term trend, though liquidity has not dried up.
The timing matters here. Earlier reports framed the move as an event still ahead, but PolygonScan now shows block 85,268,500 has already been validated, meaning the rollout has effectively arrived on mainnet.
Polygon faces pressure with little respite in sight
The Giugliano hardfork is designed to improve how the network handles finality and fee data. According to reports citing Polygon Foundation’s announcement, the upgrade allows block producers to announce blocks earlier, adds fee parameters directly into block headers, and introduces new RPC support for fee-related data. Node operators were told to upgrade to Bor v2.7.0 or Erigon v3.5.0 to stay aligned with the new rules.
That may sound technical, but the practical goal is simple. Faster finality can reduce the wait for confirmed transactions. Better fee data can also help wallets, apps, and infrastructure providers estimate costs more accurately.
In theory, that should improve user experience across DeFi, payments, and trading activity on Polygon. It also supports the network’s broader push to remain a competitive Ethereum scaling platform as developers demand speed and predictable costs.
Even so, Polygon crypto price has not responded with strength yet. That is not unusual. Markets often price in upgrade news early, then hesitate until the change proves stable in live conditions.
In this case, POL is still trading far below its historical peak of $1.29, and CoinGecko data shows the token remains deeply off those highs despite holding above its February 2026 low.
Price outlook after the Polygon upgrade
For now, Polygon crypto price is still stuck in a cautious range. POL price has been hovering at around $0.0901 to $0.0902 across major venues, which lines up with the weak tone seen across recent sessions.
If buyers defend the $0.089 to $0.090 zone, traders may look for a move back toward $0.10. If that support breaks, sentiment could stay fragile despite the network upgrade.
The more constructive signal is that underlying activity has not collapsed. Daily volume remains meaningful, and the network is still pushing technical improvements instead of standing still.
Additionally, Companies such as Stripe, Revolut, and Shift4 Payments have all been linked with Polygon usage, while platforms like Polymarket have helped keep attention on the chain.