Polygon zkEVM Marks Major Milestone and Polygon Miden Opens New Future for Ethereum

Polygon zkEVM: A Breakthrough

Launching its mainnet beta in March 2023, Polygon zkEVM is considered a pioneering Layer-2 solution with full compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). After nearly two years of development and testing, the completion of the beta phase in early 2025 is a testament to the maturity of the platform. Reaching 1 million monthly transactions shows that zkEVM is not only technically stable but also attracts a large number of users and developers.

This achievement is significant as Ethereum continues to struggle with transaction speeds and gas costs. Using zk-rollup technology, Polygon zkEVM processes transactions off-chain and then sends the compressed data to the Ethereum mainnet, significantly reducing costs and increasing throughput. The 1 million transactions per month figure is a clear sign that zkEVM has become a reliable choice for decentralized applications (dApps), from DeFi to gaming, thanks to its superior scalability while still inheriting Ethereum's security.

However, this success did not come easily. The beta phase of zkEVM has undergone rigorous testing, including tens of thousands of zk-proofs and thousands of smart contracts deployed. The current stability is the result of continuous optimization, combined with the Polygon Labs team's commitment to transparency and security. This move also puts zkEVM in direct competition with other Layer-2s such as zkSync Era or Optimism, affirming Polygon as one of the leading names in the Ethereum scaling race.

Polygon Miden: The Next Step

Not stopping at zkEVM, Polygon is pushing the development of Polygon Miden – a new zk-rollup with the ambition to further enhance Ethereum’s capabilities. Expected to launch testnet in late 2025, Miden promises to bring unique improvements, especially with the “client-side proving” feature. Unlike zkEVM, Miden allows users to create zk-proofs for their transactions without having to publish the entire state to the network. This not only reduces the load on the blockchain but also enhances privacy and scalability.

Miden is designed to support applications that require high throughput and optimal security, such as decentralized gaming or complex financial systems. Integrating Miden into the Polygon ecosystem could create a powerful “duo”: zkEVM serves current EVM applications, while Miden paves the way for more advanced use cases. This is Polygon’s long-term strategy to compete not only with other Layer-2s, but also with Layer-1s like Solana or Avalanche.

Impact and prospects

The fact that zkEVM has completed beta and reached 1 million monthly transactions is a milestone that affirms Polygon’s technical capabilities and sends a positive signal to the blockchain community. With major dApps such as Aave, Uniswap, and Lens integrating zkEVM, the ecosystem can continue to expand, attracting more users and investment. The $MATIC token price, while not mentioned in detail in the article, is likely to benefit from this optimism, especially as Polygon continues to prove its important role in Ethereum’s expansion.

Meanwhile, Polygon Miden is an ambitious bet. If the late 2025 testnet is successful and Miden proves its worth, Polygon could cement its lead in the zk-rollup space, which Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has called “the future of blockchain scalability.” But the project also faces risks: competition from StarkWare (StarkNet), Matter Labs (zkSync), and other solutions could make it difficult for Miden to live up to its hype without offering a clear differentiation.

Conclude

The completion of Polygon zkEVM’s beta and reaching 1 million monthly transactions, along with the development of Polygon Miden, marks a new phase in Polygon’s efforts to scale Ethereum. This is a testament to the project’s long-term vision: not only to solve current problems but also to prepare for future challenges. With zkEVM now stable and Miden about to launch, Polygon is positioning itself as an indispensable pillar of Web3, bringing speed, low costs, and security to millions of users around the world. The blockchain community will certainly continue to closely monitor the next steps of this “giant”.