Circle teams up with Polymarket to comprehensively upgrade the prediction market infrastructure.

February 6 News, leading prediction market platform Polymarket announced a partnership with Circle to officially launch the migration plan from the bridged version USDC.e to native USDC on Polygon. This adjustment will be implemented in phases over the coming months with the goal of optimizing settlement structures, reducing systemic risk, and enhancing overall trading stability.

In the past, most DeFi platforms relied on cross-chain bridges to facilitate stablecoin circulation, but bridging itself involves complex smart contracts and external verification networks, which have long been considered high-risk components. Data shows that since 2020, DeFi has suffered over $2 billion in asset losses due to bridge vulnerabilities. This switch to native USDC means the platform will no longer depend on third-party bridging mechanisms, fundamentally reducing potential attack surfaces.

Unlike bridged assets, Polygon native USDC exists directly on the chain without the need for intermediary or locked mapping. This structure not only reduces operational layers but also shortens the fund settlement path, making transactions more efficient and controllable. For prediction markets, the security and liquidity efficiency of stablecoins are core fundamentals, and this migration will significantly improve Polymarket’s settlement reliability.

The community generally views this decision positively. Some users believe that the introduction of native USDC will improve capital turnover speed while reducing uncertainties caused by smart contract vulnerabilities or cross-chain failures. Industry analysts point out that more and more DeFi projects are shifting to native assets to replace bridged tokens, which has become an important direction for infrastructure upgrades.

Through its partnership with Circle, Polymarket not only strengthens its settlement system but also provides a replicable security pathway for DeFi platforms relying on cross-chain assets. As native stablecoins gradually replace bridged assets, the risk structure of prediction markets and the entire DeFi ecosystem is expected to continue optimizing.