Polygon upgrades boost throughput to 5,000 payments/sec; token demand hinges on staking, fees, and app growth.

Polygon recently upgraded its network with the Zurich hardfork, increasing block gas limits and reducing block times to 1.5 seconds, enabling up to 5,000 payments per second. This upgrade improves network throughput and validator coordination but does not guarantee increased token demand. The real impact on POL's value depends on factors like staking demand, fee mechanics, and actual on-chain application growth. Investors should watch validator metrics, fee revenue trends, stablecoin volume, and app activity over the next 30-60 days to assess if the upgrade translates into stronger token economics.