Polygon Acquires Layer 2 Blockchain Hermez for $250 Million
Key Takeaways
Polygon is spending $250 million to acquire all HEZ tokens and rebrand the Hermez Layer 2 to Polygon Hermez.
Polygon Hermez will be a true Layer 2 Ethereum solution, with low fees and low latency.
As part of the deal, HEZ holders will be able to exchange their HEZ tokens with MATIC tokens through a migration contract.
Share this article
Polygon is acquiring Hermez Network in the first merger and acquisition deal involving two projects with tokens.
Hermez To Become Polygon Hermez
Formerly known as Matic network, Polygon has recently acquired Hermez Network, a ZK-Rollups-based Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution. The acquisition features the first token merger in crypto history, as Hermez’s HEZ will be integrated into Polygon’s MATIC token.
Polygon is an Ethereum compatible blockchain whose purpose has been to relieve some of the traffic from Ethereum while reducing fees drastically. This design decision has brought a lot of attention to Polygon, with many DeFi projects migrating to Polygon. Yield farming, often seen as too expensive on Ethereum due to high gas fees, has also seen a renaissance on the scaling solution.
Hermez’s Layer 2 solution is based on zero-knowledge rollups, often abbreviated to ZK-Rollups. This technology allows it to process transactions faster and for almost no fees while still leveraging the main Ethereum chain’s security. The merger will see the project named “Polygon Hermez,” and Hermez’s 26 employees join Polygon.
This is a historic event for crypto as never before had a project acquired another project with a token and merged both. From now on, MATIC will be used to pay for transactions on Hermez. HEZ holders will be able to exchange their tokens at a 3.5MATIC/1HEZ ratio.
Around 250 million MATIC tokens will compensate HEZ holders, representing around 12.5% of Polygon’s treasury. With Hermez, Polygon acquires what is most conventionally thought of as a Layer 2 solution, one built on top of Ethereum rather than in parallel like the Polygon Commit Chain, a proof-of-stake blockchain.
So here is the play book
1. Meme yourself as L22. Realize you can’t do L23. Meme more for mcap4. Buy an L2 https://t.co/PerVSmCign
— Andre Cronje (@AndreCronjeTech) August 13, 2021
Critics have noted that the acquisition can seem like Polygon buying themselves a true Layer 2 solution rather than building it themselves. On the other hand, Polygon has announced it is doubling down on its ZK-centric strategy by committing a further $1 billion from its treasury to developing the technology.
Disclaimer: The author held ETH and several other cryptocurrencies at the time of writing.
Share this article
The information on or accessed through this website is obtained from independent sources we believe to be accurate and reliable, but Decentral Media, Inc. makes no representation or warranty as to the timeliness, completeness, or accuracy of any information on or accessed through this website. Decentral Media, Inc. is not an investment advisor. We do not give personalized investment advice or other financial advice. The information on this website is subject to change without notice. Some or all of the information on this website may become outdated, or it may be or become incomplete or inaccurate. We may, but are not obligated to, update any outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate information.
You should never make an investment decision on an ICO, IEO, or other investment based on the information on this website, and you should never interpret or otherwise rely on any of the information on this website as investment advice. We strongly recommend that you consult a licensed investment advisor or other qualified financial professional if you are seeking investment advice on an ICO, IEO, or other investment. We do not accept compensation in any form for analyzing or reporting on any ICO, IEO, cryptocurrency, currency, tokenized sales, securities, or commodities.
See full terms and conditions.
Ethereum Layer 2 Solution Hermez Network Launches on Mainnet
Ethereum’s Layer 2 welcomes a new arrival: Hermez Network. Hermez Network Launches Hermez Network has gone live on Ethereum mainnet. The Layer 2 project shared news of the update in…
Efficient Market Hypothesis: Does Crypto Follow?
The Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) is a concept in financial economics which states that security prices reflect all the available information about a financial instrument. EMH is one of the…
Yield Farmers Are Migrating to Polygon
Polygon offers a similar yield farming experience to Ethereum mainnet at a fraction of the cost. Key metrics show that DeFi power users are starting to migrate to the network….
Polygon Rallies as Whales Go Into Buying Spree
Polygon’s native token MATIC appears to have entered a new uptrend fueled by whales that have been accumulating tokens at a discount. MATIC Targets Higher Highs Polygon’s MATIC token is…
