Polymesh (POLYX): A Security Token Blockchain for Regulated Markets

Security tokens — cryptocurrencies that entitle their holders to part-ownership of a crypto platform – have been designed specifically for the purpose of mirroring the function of ownership shares and certificates used in traditional financial instruments. However, despite the seemingly straightforward nature of the concept, the actual implementation and effective ongoing management of security tokens on a typical blockchain is challenging.

Polymesh has emerged as a major blockchain platform that focuses directly on comprehensive security token issuance and management. The platform has opened up new and previously unavailable opportunities for crypto operators, startups and investors in areas such as real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and new financial instruments that reside exclusively on a blockchain.

From meeting regulatory requirements for security assets to providing robust identity and privacy management solutions, Polymesh has it all if your goal is to issue, sell or buy security tokens.

Key Takeaways:

• Polymesh is a public permissioned blockchain focused on the complete lifecycle of security token management and trade.

• The Polymesh platform has established a unique environment to facilitate securities tokenization and trade, thanks to features like a fork-resistant governance model, user identity verification, automated compliance procedures, transaction confidentiality and nearly instant settlement.

• You can buy POLYX, Polymesh's native token, on Bybit as a USDT Perpetual contract.

What Is Polymesh?

Polymesh (POLYX) is a blockchain network designed for security tokens and the comprehensive management of all aspects related to these assets, such as issuance, trading, compliance, financial confidentiality, contractual settlement and more. Originally based on Ethereum (ETH), Polymesh later launched its own public permissioned chain, built using Substrate, a blockchain development framework within the Polkadot (DOT) ecosystem.

Public permissioned chains combine the elements of open access, typical of public platforms like Ethereum or Bitcoin (BTC), with custom rules that require authentication or qualification to perform certain operations. On Polymesh, any user is free to access and view network activity. However, actual participation on the platform, e.g., issuing or buying security tokens, requires identity verification.

Despite its semi-public nature and identity verification requirements, Polymesh protects user privacy. Thanks to its confidentiality-focused protocol, you can use the platform without having your identity publicly revealed, an essential issue for many parties in financial transactions.

What Does Polymesh Aim to Achieve?

Security tokens first rose to prominence during the wave of initial coin offerings (ICOs) in 2017–2018. They were envisioned to easily and flexibly replicate the role of traditional financial securities like stocks and bonds, or even alternative assets on blockchain platforms. However, a multitude of considerations from regulation and safety to privacy and transaction settlement have emerged. These issues highlight the inadequacies of typical blockchains in managing security assets, whether digital or from traditional markets.

In 2017, Polymath, a company founded by blockchain technologists Trevor Koverko and Chris Housser, decided to launch a dedicated platform for security tokens. The platform, Polymath (POLY), first operated as a decentralized app (DApp) on Ethereum. However, Ethereum, just as any other major general-purpose chain, was never designed to address the complex intricacies of security token management. Realizing this, in late 2019, Polymath launched its own blockchain, Polymesh, dedicated to enabling and streamlining security token operations.

By 2022, Polymath’s gradual shift from Ethereum to its own platform had been finalized. By now, Polymesh has grown to be a leading platform that aims to enable real-world asset (RWA) tokenization as well as facilitate the launch and management of purely digital securities. As of mid-November, Polymesh is the second-largest crypto by market cap in the RWA niche.

How Does Polymesh Work? 

Polymesh employs anominated proof of stake (NPoS) block validation model, with a number of validator node operators powering its functionality. All validators on the platform need to be licensed financial entities. Verified nominators choose validators by staking their preferred amount of POLYX on them, and earn a share of the rewards from the block validation activity. Currently, there are 46 active validator nodes on the network. Validators collate transactions into blocks and propose the blocks to the entire validator set on the platform.

The proposed block must be approved by at least two-thirds of validator nodes. If the required approval count is reached, the block is permanently written to the ledger of records. This system allows Polymesh to maintain highly efficient transaction finality times.

Polymesh Key Features

Polymesh’s ability to provide flexible and effective security token management services is based on five pillars — governance, identity, compliance, confidentiality and settlement. Let’s review each of these individually.

Governance

The platform’s governance model is designed to neutralize the risk of network forking. Public blockchains open to all may tolerate forks, but for Polymesh — whose focus is on serving security issuers and investors — forks of the main platform could cause difficulties in determining the rightful ownership of security tokens, potentially leading to legal and tax challenges within its ecosystem.

That’s why in addition to giving ordinary POLYX holders a way to participate in on-platform decision-making, Polymesh’s governance setup also includes the critical Governance Council, which is made up of key stakeholders on the platform and carefully reviews system improvement proposals submitted by user groups and communities.

One of the key roles of the Governance Council is to block “fork-friendly” initiatives. Besides this important measure, Polymesh also minimizes the possibility of forks thanks to its forkless update feature. Built with Polkadot’s Substrate framework, Polymesh is capable of rolling out major system upgrades without requiring a fork.

Identity

Any user of Polymesh’s services, be it a security token issuer or investor, must go through a two-step identity verification process on the platform. While blockchain purists might find this requirement preposterous, in the world of regulated securities, the verified identity of a market participant is a critical requirement.

This is another reason why public blockchains like Ethereum are poorly suited to the security token management process, and why Polymesh is the ideal environment for tokenized securities. Securities laws and regulations in just about any jurisdiction require robust identity verification procedures. So — no network node names or Reddit nicknames. You have to use your real identity documents to take advantage of Polymesh’s services.

Compliance

The management of securities’ lifecycles, including issuance, sales and transfers, is complicated due to a myriad of laws and regulations. In traditional financial markets, following these regulations requires laborious manual procedures and checks. Polymesh streamlines antiquated processes involved in securities compliance via smart contracts. Users also have the ability to pre-design custom compliance rules per the required regulations, further improving the automation and efficiency of compliance management.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality of transactions, asset holdings and trade positions is paramount in many financial markets. Polymesh has implemented a privacy-focused protocol based on zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs that protects the identity of platform users. Although users have to go through the identity verification process to join Polymesh, their identities on its network are securely protected via this protocol. Hence, while compliance and confidentiality may seem like contrasting ideologies at first glance, Polymesh has seamlessly merged these two elements to create a platform that addresses the unique needs of security issuers and investors.

Settlement

Parties to any financial transaction desire certainty of terms and a quick settlement. However, on a typical blockchain, transaction settlement might be far from instant or quick. On many platforms, transactions remain in a non-finalized state for hours (or even days), depending upon the particular blockchain. In contrast, Polymesh uses a block validation process that offers deterministic finality, which results in nearly instant transaction finality/settlement.

When at least two-thirds of validators approve a proposed block, it’s then immediately written to the ledger of records (i.e., becomes finalized). On average, a transaction block on Polymesh is finalized within six seconds. This is roughly the time it takes for a financial transaction to be settled on the platform.

What Is POLYX?

POLYX is Polymesh’s native protocol token, and is used to pay transaction fees on the network and issue new security tokens. All the operations related to security tokens involve the use of POLYX tokens.

POLYX is also used for staking. Token holders can back their preferred validator on the Polymesh network with their POLYX funds and earn a share of the staking rewards generated by the validator.

Another key functionality of the token is governance. POLYX holders can vote on proposals related to future developments and changes on the platform. Proposals that get enough votes are then considered by the Polymesh Governance Council.

POLYX has a current total supply of 881.16 million tokens (as of Nov 20, 2023), all in circulation. The token doesn’t have a maximum supply limitation.

Polymesh (POLYX) Price Prediction

As of Nov 24, 2023, POLYX trades at $0.201, which is 59.3% lower than its all-time high of $0.4942, attained on Oct 17, 2022, and approximately 100% higher than its all-time low of $0.09985, registered on Sep 11, 2023.

Major price prediction portals expect POLYX to grow solidly over the long term.DigitalCoinPrice forecasts that the token will reach $0.73 in 2025 and $2.11 in 2030, whilePricePrediction estimates that POLYX will trade at $0.4997 in 2025 and $4.99 in 2030.

Is Polymesh a Good Investment?

POLYX is an asset with a promising outlook. The following factors point to solid potential returns for the token:

1. As the traditional finance world and decentralized finance (DeFi) find greater synergies, the demand for the Polymesh platform is expected to grow. The burgeoning field of RWAs — regulated assets from traditional markets tokenized on a blockchain — is one clear indicator of this growing synergy.

2. For digital securities management, Polymesh offers critical features virtually unmatched in the industry, including near instant settlement finality, transaction confidentiality and highly flexible compliance customization rules. If you need to issue and manage security tokens, it’s hard to exclude Polymesh from your consideration set.

3. The Polymesh platform has achieved a number of important milestones that signal its robust growth and potential. Among these is its perfect record of security and network stability. Polymesh hasn’t suffered a single security breach or network downtime event in all its years of operation. The platform also keeps confidently expanding its validator network, with nearly 50 institutional providers having joined in. Moreover, Polymesh’s validators aren’t just ordinary users with the equipment to run a blockchain node; all of them are regulated financial organizations whose partnership with Polymesh signals the platform’s expanding industry footprint.

Where to Buy POLYX

You can buy Polymesh POLYX on Bybit via the POLYXUSDT Perpetual contract. If you don’t yet have a Bybit account, you can easily sign up for one. A Bybit account allows you to access hundreds of crypto assets and products, both in the Spot and Derivatives markets.

Closing Thoughts

After the 2017–2018 ICO boom, security tokens experienced a certain decline in popularity for several years. Their profile is now rising again with the arrival of the RWA concept. As one of the leading securities-focused crypto platforms, Polymesh is at the forefront of the TradFi and DeFi convergence powered by RWA growth.

The platform already boasts close to 4,000 users, a significant number for a network used for security asset management and trade. As traditional securities from regulated markets are increasingly tokenized, expect further growth for Polymesh. Its platform is now shaping up as the primary bridge connecting traditional securities and their blockchain-based tokenized versions.

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