Key Highlights
- Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan sparked widespread speculation about a potential POLY token launch with a cryptic social media post
- The post comes after a period of massive expansion for the prediction platform, including a recent investment of up to $2 billion
On October 8, Shayne Coplan, the founder and CEO of Polymarket, sparked a discussion on the internet within the crypto community with a cryptic post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
$BTC$ETH$BNB$SOL$POLY 🤔 https://t.co/HmMobU6nBh
— Shayne Coplan 🦅 (@shayne_coplan) October 8, 2025
In the post, Coplan casually mentioned “POLY” alongside major tokens like BTC, ETH, BNB, and SOL. According to some users, he is subtly implying that a native Polymarket token could soon join the ranks of major cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.
However, there is no confirmation on this rumor yet; it has sparked discussion of an impending POLY token launch. Mostly, these discussions are focused on enhancing Polymarket’s decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem and rewarding its growing user base.
The crypto community on X erupted with excitement, with some users calling it a strategic tease for influencer partnerships tied to token allocations, while another user called it could boost Polygon’s POL token due to Polymarket’s integration with the Polygon blockchain.
Polymarket Expands its Boundary
Polymarket, launched in 2020, has evolved from a niche platform where users bet on real-world events, such as U.S. elections or crypto price movements, using USDC on the Polygon blockchain, into a financial powerhouse valued at $9 billion.
The platform’s recent achievement comes with a critical context for the POLY speculation.
In July 2025, Polymarket acquired the CFTC-licensed QCEX for $112 million, enabling compliance with U.S. regulations and overturning a 2022 CFTC settlement that had banned it from the U.S. market.
In August, the platform raised $135 million in a funding round led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. This valued it at $1 billion and attracted high-profile investors like Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia.
By September 3, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) granted Polymarket a “greenlight” for its U.S. relaunch, which Coplan announced on X.
Just days ago, on October 7, Polymarket secured a massive investment of up to $2 billion from the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, pushing its valuation to $9 billion.
This partnership emphasized “tokenization initiatives,” hinting at blockchain-based innovations like a POLY token to integrate Polymarket’s prediction markets with traditional financial systems.
The timing of Coplan’s POLY tease aligns with Polymarket’s aggressive expansion and its ambition to bridge DeFi with mainstream finance. The platform has already facilitated $19 billion in cumulative trading volume, with $3.3 billion wagered on the 2024 U.S. election alone.
Earlier rumors in July 2025 suggested Polymarket might explore a custom stablecoin, but the focus on POLY points to a utility or governance token that could incentivize user participation and liquidity. The recent ICE deal explicitly highlighted tokenization, suggesting that POLY could play a role in blending Polymarket’s blockchain-based forecasting with Wall Street’s infrastructure.
Coplan himself described the partnership as a major step in bringing prediction markets into the financial mainstream. This sparked speculation that a token launch could be imminent.
Polymarket’s Rival Kalshi Raises Bar
This expansion establishes itself as a formidable rival to traditional betting platforms like Kaleshi. If it launches, A POLY token could serve multiple purposes, such as enabling governance, sharing platform fees, or offering staking and betting rewards.
Recently, Kalshi’s Head of Crypto, John Wang, revealed his plans to integrate the U.S.-regulated prediction market platform into “every major crypto application and exchange” within the next 12 months.
John Wang called this expansion a “Trojan Horse” for mainstream crypto adoption, making event contracts as accessible as options trading but far simpler.
Kalshi has already partnered with brokers like Robinhood and Webull, accepting Bitcoin deposits since April. The platform is currently valued at $2 billion after a $185 million funding round led by Paradigm.
“I think prediction markets are similar to [crypto] options that are packaged in the most accessible form possible. So I think prediction markets are like the Trojan Horse for [people] to enter crypto,” said Wang.
