Polymarket Announces Biggest Upgrade Since Debut With New Stablecoin

Highlights:

• Polymarket is launching a major upgrade with a new stablecoin and a rebuilt trading infrastructure.
• The platform says the changes will make trading faster, cheaper, and more reliable.
• The rollout will also cancel open orders during maintenance. 

Prediction market platform Polymarket is rolling out its biggest technical upgrade since launch. It is introducing a new in-house stablecoin and rebuilding the core systems that power its prediction markets. The changes, announced on Monday, aim to make trading faster, cheaper, and more reliable for all users 

The update focuses on three main changes. These include a rebuilt trading engine, upgraded smart contracts called CTF Exchange V2, and a new collateral token named Polymarket USD. 

We've heard your feedback, and we're excited to announce Polymarket is getting a full exchange upgrade.

Over the next few weeks, we're rolling out a rebuilt trading engine, upgraded smart contracts, and a new collateral token (Polymarket USD) to move off USDC.e. 🧵

— Polymarket (@Polymarket) April 6, 2026

Polymarket USD Will Replace USDC.e on the Platform

The Polymarket USD will take the place of the USDC.e, a bridge version of Circle’s stablecoin USDC, which had been used in the past for serving as the primary collateral in the platform. This is a 1:1 native USDC-backed token issued directly by Polymarket, and this token is not meant to be traded on or speculated upon in terms of its price.

For regular users, the change is simple. Polymarket will show a one-time prompt asking them to wrap their existing USDC or USDC.e into Polymarket USD. Once they complete that step, they can continue trading as usual. However, users who trade through bots or APIs must do this manually. They need to use a special wrap function and update their software to the latest CLOB-Client SDK version.

New Smart Contract Aims to Improve Speed and Lower Trading Costs

The updated CTF Exchange V2 smart contract system aims to make trading faster and cheaper. The new engine checks and matches orders more efficiently, using less gas and allowing trades to process more quickly.

Additionally, Polymarket is adding support for EIP-1271. This is an Ethereum standard that enables smart contract wallets, like Safe, to sign orders directly on the platform. This change makes it easier for advanced traders and institutional users to use Polymarket with multi-signature wallet setups.

Polymarket to Cancel Open Orders During Upgrade Rollout

During this upgrade, Polymarket will briefly pause part of the system and cancel all open orders. The company said it will share the exact timing at least one week before the change happens, so users have time to prepare. The full rollout is expected to take two to three weeks from the date of the announcement.

The company stated:

“Our biggest infrastructure change since launch… faster execution, lower gas, & a cleaner foundation going forward. To make the switch, all open orders will be canceled during a short maintenance window.”

The upgrade shows that Polymarket is getting ready for long-term growth. By improving its main systems, the platform is preparing to handle more users and larger trading volumes. Prediction markets let users trade on the outcomes of real-world events, like elections or economic trends. As interest in these markets increases, platforms need better infrastructure to support more activity.