What is Stader MaticX (MATICX)?
Quick Facts
- Token name: MaticX (MATICX)
- Issuer: Stader Labs
- Type: Liquid staking token
- Underlying asset: MATIC (Polygon native token)
- Supported networks: Ethereum and Polygon
- Smart contract auditors: Halborn and Immunebytes
- Bug bounty: $1M program on Immunefi
- Status: Phased out; dApp taken offline in 2026
Introduction
Stader MaticX (MATICX) was a liquid staking token issued by Stader Labs for the Polygon network. It allowed MATIC holders to stake their tokens and receive MATICX in return — a fungible, yield-bearing token representing their staked position.
Unlike traditional staking, where assets are locked and illiquid, MATICX let users continue using their capital across DeFi while still earning Polygon staking rewards.
History & Background
Stader Labs built MaticX as part of its broader mission to decentralize proof-of-stake networks by providing accessible staking infrastructure. The product was launched to serve delegators, institutions, crypto natives, and exchanges who wanted to stake MATIC without giving up liquidity.
In 2026, Stader Labs announced it would gradually phase out MaticX, ceasing new deposits and moving the protocol to a claims-only status. The dApp front end was subsequently taken offline, with users able to redeem at a fixed exchange rate before shutdown.
How Stader MaticX Works
Users deposited MATIC tokens — on either the Ethereum or Polygon network — into Stader's smart contracts. In return, they received MATICX tokens proportional to their stake.
As staking rewards accumulated, the exchange rate of MATICX relative to MATIC increased over time, meaning the token was reward-accruing by design. On the Polygon network, this was handled via a ChildPool contract, while Ethereum-side staking rewards were bridged and distributed on Polygon.
Unstaking involved sending MATICX back and waiting approximately 3–4 days (80 checkpoints) before MATIC could be claimed.
Tokenomics
MATICX was a yield-bearing receipt token — its value derived entirely from the underlying staked MATIC and accumulated rewards. There was no inflationary emission schedule; instead, the token's economic design relied on the appreciation of its MATIC exchange rate as validator rewards compounded automatically.
The protocol supported auto-compounding, meaning rewards were reinvested continuously without manual intervention from the user.
|
Circulating Supply
| 24.88 million MATICX |
|---|---|
|
Total supply
| 24.88 million MATICX |
|
Max supply
| 10.00 billion MATICX |
Ecosystem & Use Cases
MATICX was integrated across the Polygon DeFi ecosystem. Users could deploy their MATICX in:
- Liquidity mining on decentralized exchanges
- Lending and borrowing protocols
- Yield aggregators for compounded returns
- Platforms such as Aave, Balancer, and Curve
Stader also allowed developers to build custom staking products on top of its infrastructure, and offered multi-validator delegation to reduce risk and improve returns.
Team, Governance & Community
Stader Labs is the development team behind MaticX. The project operated under a security-focused model, with smart contracts audited by Halborn and Immunebytes, and a $1M bug bounty program hosted on Immunefi.
The codebase was open-source and available on GitHub, allowing community contributions and transparent verification of contract logic.
Advantages
- No lockups: Users staked without sacrificing access to their capital
- Auto-compounding rewards: Staking returns reinvested automatically
- DeFi composability: MATICX usable across lending, trading, and yield platforms
- Multi-network support: MATIC accepted on both Ethereum and Polygon
- Strong security posture: Dual audits and active bug bounty program
Risks & Challenges
- Protocol wind-down: Stader Labs phased out MaticX in 2026, ending new deposits
- Smart contract risk: As with all DeFi protocols, bugs or exploits remained a theoretical concern
- Validator concentration risk: Delegation through a shared pool introduced dependency on Stader's validator selection
- Bridge risk: Cross-chain reward distribution between Ethereum and Polygon added complexity
Long-Term Vision
While MaticX itself was ultimately wound down, it represented an important chapter in Polygon's DeFi history — demonstrating demand for liquid staking primitives on proof-of-stake networks. Stader Labs continues to operate liquid staking solutions across other blockchains, and the MaticX model informed broader liquid staking design patterns in the ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Stader MaticX (MATICX)?
MATICX was Stader Labs' liquid staking token for the Polygon network. Users staked MATIC and received MATICX in return, a yield-bearing token usable across DeFi while still earning staking rewards.
- How did MATICX earn rewards?
As staking rewards accrued, the MATICX-to-MATIC exchange rate increased over time. The protocol auto-compounded rewards, so no manual claiming was required.
- Could MATICX be used in DeFi?
Yes. MATICX was integrated into protocols like Aave, Balancer, and Curve for liquidity mining, lending, and trading. This allowed users to stack DeFi yields on top of their base staking rewards.
- Was MaticX available on Ethereum?
Yes. Stader accepted MATIC deposits on both the Ethereum and Polygon networks. Rewards earned from Ethereum-side staking were distributed to users on the Polygon network.
- How did users unstake from MaticX?
Users sent their MATICX back to the protocol to initiate a withdrawal request. After approximately 3-4 days (80 checkpoints), their MATIC could be claimed.
- Was MaticX audited and secure?
The smart contracts were audited by Halborn and Immunebytes. Stader also ran a $1M bug bounty program on Immunefi and used live on-chain monitoring tools.
- Why was MaticX phased out?
Stader Labs announced in 2026 that it would gradually shut down MaticX, stopping new deposits and moving to claims-only status. The dApp front end was taken offline, with users given time to redeem at a fixed rate.
- What blockchains held the MATICX contract?
The MATICX token contract is deployed on the Polygon network (0xfa68fb4628dff1028cfec22b4162fccd0d45efb6) and Ethereum (0xf03a7eb46d01d9ecaa104558c732cf82f6b6b645).