Polygon Lays Off Employees Amid $250M Pivot to Stablecoin Payments

TL;DR

• Polygon Labs cut staff while pivoting to a payments-first new “Open Money Stack” after deals up to $250 million for Coinme and Sequence.
• Posts on X tied integration to reductions as large as 30%, as Marc Boiron reiterated a mission to move all money onchain.
• Boiron said cuts are structure, not performance; Polygon previously cut 19% and spun off Polygon Ventures and Polygon ID in early 2024.

Polygon Labs is trimming personnel as it pivots to a payments-first strategy built around stablecoin rails and what it calls an “Open Money Stack.” The shift comes days after it announced deals valued up to $250 million to acquire Coinme and Sequence, bringing regulated payments, wallets, and interoperability closer to home. Polygon did not disclose how many roles were cut, but posts on X tied the integration to reductions as large as 30%, and several employees said they were affected. The immediate read is that this is a strategic narrowing, not a quiet retreat.

🪓 Polygon Labs $POL is reportedly laying off 30% of its workforce.

The news comes on the heels of a $250M acquisition spree for @Coinme and @0xsequence to advance its Open Money Stack. pic.twitter.com/ah5t2Fv2h3

— RAREMINTS (@raremints_) January 16, 2026

Inside the payments pivot

CEO Marc Boiron framed the acquisitions as part of an effort to narrow Polygon Labs’ mandate. He said the team has “sharpened” its focus around one mission: moving all money onchain. He added that Coinme and Sequence bring expertise across regulated payments, wallets, and interop, key inputs for the Open Money Stack, a vertically integrated set of services designed to move money onchain at scale. As teams fold into one organization, he said Polygon consolidated overlapping roles. The message is that integration synergies are driving the org chart reset.

Over the past few months, we’ve sharpened Polygon Labs’ focus around one mission: moving all money onchain.

As part of that journey, we are acquiring Coinme and Sequence. These teams bring deep expertise across regulated payments, wallets, and interop. As we begin integrating…

— Marc | Polygon Labs (💜,⚔️, ※) (@0xMarcB) January 15, 2026

Boiron emphasized that total headcount would be similar after the changes, calling the move “about structure, not performance.” He described the departing staff as exceptional and said Polygon will support them through the transition, while acknowledging layoffs are among the hardest parts of building a company and accelerating a protocol. Former employees confirmed they had been let go, but many struck an upbeat tone, with one calling it a “hell of a ride,” and another saying they were proud and optimistic. Even in a reduction, the company is trying to protect morale and continuity.

The layoffs fit a wider restructuring cycle. Polygon has already streamlined over the past two years, including a 19% workforce reduction and the early 2024 spin-offs of Polygon Ventures and Polygon ID, moves executives said were meant to sharpen focus. Elsewhere, Coinbase has executed multiple job-cut rounds, including an 18% layoff in 2022 amid a downturn, and Binance reduced headcount by 1,000 employees in 2023 to remain nimble. This week, real-world asset protocol Mantra also cited restructuring-driven layoffs. The sector is standardizing on consolidation as it reallocates talent toward payments and infrastructure right now.