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The infrastructure layer of the Open Money Stack is permissionless. No API key, no account approval, no registration. The payments and wallet layers run on licensed, compliance-gated infrastructure. This layer is different: public chains, open protocols, and open-source tooling that any developer can access directly with a standard EVM wallet. Four components make up this layer: Polygon Chain for public settlement, Polygon CDK for dedicated rollup infrastructure, Agglayer for cross-chain interoperability, and Agentic infrastructure for autonomous agent payments.

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Polygon Chain

Public, Permissionless. Polygon Chain is the public, permissionless blockchain that serves as the default settlement of the Open Money Stack. No API key required. Anyone can connect a wallet, deploy a contract, and transact. Sub-5 second finality, 3,800 TPS sustained throughput, $0.002 average transaction cost, and full EVM compatibility mean it works with Hardhat, Foundry, Ethers.js, and Wagmi without modification. With 159M unique wallet addresses and $54B in stablecoin transfer volume, Polygon Chain is production-proven at the scale financial applications require. Polygon Chain overview, architecture, network stats, and how to start building.

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Polygon CDK

Build private blockchains. Connect to public liquidity. For institutions that need dedicated, private blockspace but also connection to broad crypto liquidity, Polygon CDK provides a composable, privacy-on-a-spectrum selection of features for financial institutions: custom throughput, custom fee structures, and compliance-grade controls. Polygon partners with you to design and launch a bespoke chain; CDK is the product, not a self-serve kit. Every CDK chain ships with Agglayer connectivity, so it joins the broader blockchain ecosystem from day one. Operators choose between sovereign (pessimistic proof), validium, and private validium operating modes. CDK supports 20,000+ TPS when tuned for payment workloads, with granular network controls: gated access, API keys, and ACLs for read and write permissions. Polygon CDK docs, operating modes, Agglayer connectivity, and how to launch a bespoke chain.

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Choosing between Polygon Chain and Polygon CDK

Polygon ChainPolygon CDK
AccessPublic, permissionlessPrivate or gated
Throughput3,800 TPS20,000+ TPS (payment-optimized)
Fee controlNetwork-determinedOperator-defined
ComplianceApplication-levelChain-level controls, ACLs, API keys
InfrastructureShared public networkDedicated, private blockspace
InteroperabilityNative ecosystem accessVia Agglayer
Best forOpen apps, broad reach, ecosystem liquidityInstitutions with regulatory, privacy, or throughput requirements
Most applications start on Polygon Chain. Institutions with regulatory or privacy requirements, dedicated throughput needs, or custom fee structures work with Polygon to launch a bespoke CDK chain that stays connected to the broader ecosystem via Agglayer.

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Agglayer

Secure cross-chain bridge for the Open Money Stack. Agglayer is a secure cross-chain bridge that connects the liquidity and users of heterogeneous blockchains in a single interoperability protocol so assets can move between them. It is the secure foundation the Open Money Stack uses for cross-chain payments. A pessimistic proof system ensures that a compromised chain cannot drain more than its own deposits into the shared pool. Connected chains retain their own architecture and governance. Agglayer is bundled with Polygon CDK: every CDK chain ships with Agglayer connectivity by default. Other chains can integrate independently, and the network is no longer EVM-only since Miden joined as a non-EVM connected chain. Agglayer overview, architecture, security model, and how to connect a chain or build cross-chain applications.

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Agentic

Payments for autonomous agents. The agentic layer gives software agents the infrastructure to initiate, negotiate, and settle payments without human confirmation at each step. An agent can detect a payment requirement, authorize a transaction, and settle onchain using predefined policies and earned balances. Three components work together: agentic wallets for agent key management and signing, x402 Protocol for HTTP-native pay-per-call payments using the standard 402 status code, and ERC-8004 for onchain agent identity and reputation registries. Agentic infrastructure, agentic wallets, x402 protocol, and onchain agent identity.